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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27883046">Slytherin Advice</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tomas9777/pseuds/Tomas9777'>Tomas9777</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Albus Dumbledore Bashing, F/M, Manipulative Albus Dumbledore, Powerful Harry, Slytherin Harry Potter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 15:29:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>77,932</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27883046</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tomas9777/pseuds/Tomas9777</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>What would happen when a Slytherin Harry is thrown into the Triwizard Tournment against his will?<br/>How will he deal with the dangers to his life, and his quest to be able to defeat Voldemort, all while he tries to deal with the troubles of growing up?<br/>And what will he do about the split in his heart for the two women he fancies?<br/>SlytherinHarry - PowerfulHarry - GreyHarry</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Daphne Greengrass/Harry Potter, Fleur Delacour/Harry Potter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>83</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>396</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Harry Potter” read Dumbledore from the fourth piece of paper that got out of the goblet of fire.</p><p>Noise around the Great Hall of Hogwarts rose, as people tried to wrap their heads around what was happening.</p><p>Harry was there, completely stunned, not even wanting to believe that his year of peace wasn’t not going to became true, for the fourth time in a row.</p><p>“harry, please, go join the others” said the Headmaster, with confusion and concern noticeable on his voice.</p><p>But he just stayed there, unable to move, his mind trying to process what was happening ‘<em>how can there be another champion? And how can it be me, I’m just fourteen. And why, why again does it have to be me?’</em></p><p>An elbow on the back from his best friend brought him back to reality, and he got up and started walking across the Hall, barely noticing the silent stares of his Slytherin house mates, the hate filled glares from the Hufflepuffs and the insults from Gryffindors.</p><p>As he passed thru the Headmaster, he gave him a sort of an awkward hug, and whispered in his ear with a tense voice “Tonight. Midnight. My office”</p><p>With his mind racing, split between the message from the headmaster and the mess he was about to get in, he went thru the door that lead to the trophy room and where the other three champions were waiting for news.</p><p>As he got in, this beautiful melodic voice spoke to him “Do they want us back in the salon?” but he barely acknowledged it, moving straight to the quidditch section of the room, and stared at one very particular one.</p><p>Seeker</p><p>James Potter</p><p>1972</p><p>Being one of the few connections he had from his father, he just stood there, wondering what Lily and James Potter would think about the life he had been dealt with. All the life-threatening dangers he had survived, and if they’d approved of the path he had chosen to pursue.</p><p>He knew he was powerful. He had spent the last three school years making sure of that. He studied the hardest he could. He was the top student of his year and had even gained permission the be in some of the higher year classes. He defeated Lord Voldemort two more times since he had arrived at the school. He had slayed a basilisk. Killed a fully grown dark wizard in his first year. And more recently, he’d fought over one hundred dementors all the once. But the amount of danger the tournament would represent, there was a reason, after all for it to have been discontinued in the pass, and the fact that the other three champions were all seventeen years old wizards, all in their last year of school, gave him a big disadvantage.</p><p>Harry’s train of thought was interrupted by the voice of a very excited Ludo Bagman “Incredible. Who would have guessed it? A fourth champion!”</p><p>Ludo was followed by Dumbledore, Maxime, Karkaroff, as well as Barty Crouch.</p><p>“How can this be possible? We demand a second champion for both of our schools” said the Durmstrang Headmaster.</p><p>“Did you put your name in the goblet of fire?” calmly asked Dumbledore to Harry.</p><p>“No, how could i? I’m not seventeen yet” responded Harry, confused as to why he was being accused of something, when he clearly was the victim there.</p><p>“Did you ask an older student to put your name for you?”</p><p>“Of course I didn’t” responded Harry, quickly getting tired of not having Dumbledore believe him.</p><p>“Barty, it is your decision” said the Headmaster, and all eyes turned to the ministry representative.</p><p> “It- it’s a biding magical contract. The boy has to participate, otherwise he’ll lose his magic. Its like an Unbreakable vow, I don’t think we have a choice!” said a very nervous Crouch.</p><p>Harry was now mad, screaming “LOSE MY MAGIC? I never asked for any of this! I don’t want to be part of this stupid tournament of yours! I already have enough concerns of my own!”</p><p>“Stupid tournament?” said the beautiful voice again, and harry now recognized it as the voice of Fleur Delacour, the beautiful Vella and also the champion for Beauxbatons “One thousand galleons of gold and eternal glory? And you even dare say it’s stupid?”</p><p>“Eternal glory? You want to speak with me about eternal glory? I’m the fucking boy-who-lived, I already have enough glory on my own. And my family is one of the seven Noble and Most Ancient houses in Britain, I’m richer than I could ever need. I don’t need this tournament for noting and I don’t want to be a part of it” with this, Harry stormed out of the room, leaving some very angry people and a very surprised Albus Dumbledore behind.</p><p>Harry walked around the school for hours, trying to figure out what his next move was going to be. He needed to learn. Faster than classes could provide and spells who were not taught in Hogwarts. He needed to truly learn how to fight. But where could he learn that? Who would teach him? He knew that going to his teachers was useless, Dumbledore had never made an effort to teach him how to fight, and all the teachers were wrapped around his finger. He needed someone outside of school, but who would that be?</p><p>The only people of the magical world he knew were his Godfather, Sirius Black, and his former professor, Remus Lupin. But Sirius was a wanted fugitive, and to be honest with himself, Harry knew that the Dog-man had a lot of prejudice with Slytherin, and he didn’t know if he had already been able to put that behind him. And Lupin… their relationship had been troubled to say the least, with Harry never understanding why the werewolf had never sough him out in the first thirteen years of his life and being unable to move past that. He had to think of another option. And with that harry remember the summon from Dumbledore. With a quick tempus charm, he noticed he was already ten minutes late, so he hurried to the headmaster’s office, angry at the older man, but curious of what he would say in private.</p><p>“Please come in harry, take a seat” said Dumbledore, with his calm, grandfather voice.</p><p>“Do you believe me, headmaster? Do you believe that I didn’t put my name in?” asked a still angry Harry.</p><p>“You understand what a difficult position you’ve put me in? Having to justify to two international schools and governments why, after years of negotiations and preparations for this event we suddenly have two Hogwarts champions? And how hard we’ll have to work to adapt the five tasks to now four champions?”</p><p>“I didn’t put my name in! I don’t want any part on this tournament, I already told you that!”</p><p>“Then who did, my boy?”</p><p>“How would I know? You’re the headmaster, you’re the one that put the defenses up. And apparently, if I had asked an older student to put it in for me, it would have worked, so at the time I’m not having great faith in your preparations.”</p><p>“The defenses I put on the Goblet of fire were fine Harry, that’s the problem here. This story your telling is really hard to believe.”</p><p>“Then don’t believe it, I don’t really care” and for the second time that night, Harry stormed out on Dumbledore.</p><p>----------</p><p>Harry was angry. Very angry. All we wanted was to be left alone, but he kept being dragged into situations like this.</p><p> Arriving into the dungeons, harry entered the Slytherin common room to be met with silent stares from his housemates.</p><p>With doubts starting to fill his head about the support from his housemates, he begged “Please, you guys have to believe me”</p><p>“So how did you do it?” asked Draco, looking split between jealousy and hate.</p><p>“I didn’t do it, and you all know it! I was here in this room with a lot of you guys” turning his head to his best friends, he found doubt in Blaise’s eyes and a lot of confusion in both Daphne and Tracy’s.</p><p>“You might have snuck in the middle of the night, when no one was awake” Draco insisted, feeling a lot of enjoyment from pushing Harry to the limit.</p><p>Finding no support with his house, not even his best friends, and with all the rage against Dumbledore still very present, Harry Potter couldn’t just take it any longer “FINE. I’m out of here”</p><p>Realizing, as he left, that now he didn’t have a place to sleep Harry started to panic. What would he do? Where would he go?</p><p>Trying to figure out where to go, his subconscious gave him an answer, and before he realized it, harry was standing in front of the Girls Bathroom.</p><p>After saying hello to Myrtle, he focused on the little snake drawing and hissed.</p>
<ul>

<em>§ open §</em>
</ul><p>This time, he noticed that another entry was available, this one had stairs. Glad he could avoid the very uncomfortable slide down, he began the long trip down.</p><p>Arriving at the main hall of the chamber, Harry noticed that the corpse of the basilisk still laid there, looking just the same as the day it had been killed. Not knowing what to do or why he was even there, harry asked</p>
<ul>
§ Hello? §
</ul><p>And from deep inside the chamber, a very rusty old voice replied</p>
<ul>
§ Welcome my heir. Come on inside, we have much to discuss §
</ul><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>AN: This story is just me writing what I would like to read. My type of story, my favorite pairings, all the elements that I seek when I try to find new fanfiction to read.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Harry is in Slytherin, yes, just like he always should have been, its what fits best with him, and with what I’m trying to make of him.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Anyway, thank you for reading, and please review. Only with criticism can we grow.</strong>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Harry was stunned as he as falling asleep. The chamber actually had something more than just a basilisk! He’d spent the last few hours speaking and training with Salazar Slytherin, one of the founders of Hogwarts! And that same founder, one of the greatest wizards to ever live, was going to teach him!</p><p>---------</p><p>“Your heir? What do you mean your heir?”<br/>
“You speak the language of the snakes, an ability I created more than one thousand years ago, one that is tied to my bloodline. Being a speaker is the most definitive prove of your lineage.”</p><p>Harry found it ironic that on his second year, his classmates where kind of right after all.</p><p>“How are you here?” He questioned “Are you a ghost?”</p><p>“A ghost? A simple ghost? You think the great Salazar Slytherin is just a mere ghost? No, my child, I am way more than a ghost. One could say I AM the chamber of secrets.”</p><p>“What does that mean? How can you be a chamber?”</p><p>“Later, my child. That’s something to be discussed later. Now tell me, what brought you to me?”</p><p>“I- I don’t know.” Stuttered a very lost Harry Potter “I needed a place to stay, I was cast out by my housemates, and for some reason I ended up here.”</p><p>“It was your blood that led you here then. If you need a place to stay, the chamber, as well as all the knowledge within, are yours to use as long as you need. It is your birthright, after all.”</p><p>“Thank you for the offer, but I don’t think sleeping on the floor next to a basilisk is very pleasant.”</p><p>“You really think the great Salazar Slytherin didn’t provide more than a chamber and a snake to his heirs? Deep inside the chamber there a room and a library. You can sleep there.”</p><p>“A library you say? Can I learn magic from there?” The opportunity to have two of is most pressing need fulfilled was too good not to ask.</p><p>“If ritualistic magic is something your interested in, then yes, you’ll have all my notes from the field of magic I was more adept of. More than that, I think your better served with the knowledge the school provides.”</p><p>“I don’t need rituals, I need to learn how to fight!”</p><p>“Why does a child like yourself need to learn how to fight? And don’t they teach you how to fight here at Hogwarts?</p><p>And then harry told Salazar everything that happened to him in the last three years at Hogwarts, and the daunting perspective he had for this fourth year.</p><p>“And all I learned from that fool Lockhart’s duel club was the disarming spell Expelliarmus.”<br/>
Salazar didn’t want to say it, but he was impressed with his descendent and what he had accomplished.</p><p>“Well, I can see the standards of education for this school has dropped since my last heir found me.”</p><p>“Your last heir? You mean other people have been here before?”</p><p>The voice of Salazar laughed “You thought you were the first one? Quite a few of my heirs found this chamber before, the last one being around fifty years ago”</p><p>When he heard that, a bad feeling run thru Harry “Fifty years you say? Was that last heir Voldemort?”</p><p>“When he came to me, there was none of that Voldemort nonsense. Just a very bright boy, named Tom Riddle”</p><p>“And you helped him? How could you? He killed thousands of people! My own two parents included!”</p><p>“I didn’t help him kill anybody. I just provided him the tools to be great, as all my descendants should be! What he did with the power and knowledge I provided is entirely on his own fault. Don’t blame me for the actions of others.”</p><p>“You are right, but you still helped in the creation of one of the biggest dark wizards of all time.”</p><p>“I was not aware of his actions after he left the chamber for the last time, and it saddens me a lot to hear what became of him.”</p><p>“If you taught him, can you teach me as well? He will come after me once more, I’m sure of it”</p><p>“I will teach you to the best of my ability, yes. But to surpass Tom you will need a lot than just knowledge of magic”</p><p>“What do you mean by that”</p><p>“As I said before, the field of magic I focused more on is ritualistic sacrificial magic. Is quite dangerous if done careless, but with the right knowledge is the most powerful magic of all.”</p><p>“So if I want to beat Voldemort, I’ll have to perform rituals myself?”</p><p>“They will shorten the advantage he has over you, yes”</p><p>Feeling a mix of ice and steel running all thru his body, Harry said “Tell me what to do”</p><p>--------</p><p>After hours of showing Salazar what magic he was capable of, his voice didn’t sound too impressed.</p><p>“Your knowledge is obviously lacking a lot of the basics of magic. You know how to perform the spells, and that may be enough for your school grades, but you lack the knowledge of the basics of magic, how it flows, the connection you have with it, and how you can control it to do exactly what you want.”</p><p>“What do you mean by that? Magic is simple, you have a spell, a wand movement, and then magical power.”</p><p>“Only the magical power part of what you said is true. And even that is highly incomplete. Magic is a force present on the entire universe and it surrounds us in everything we feel and touch. Wizards are special because they can tap into that force and Will it to do their bidding. The control of that power is entirely based on your intent. Spells are only a way for you to easily focus that intent, they are not a requirement for the use of magic. On the moment you release yourself from that prison, you will feel that the flow of magic can do way more than just a bunch of spells.”</p><p>“So, I need to cast them non-verbally? I’ve read about that in the more advanced years books.”</p><p>“Yes and no. You will do your magic non-verbally, yes, but you will not be casting spells. You’ll be directing you magic according to your intent, with no spells required. This requires a lot of focus, but once you achieved control of magic with just your intent, you will be able to do magic beyond what most people can even imagine”</p><p>Harry was tired, it had been a long day full of conflicting emotions. Wrapping his head around the fact that everything he had been taught in his entire time at school was wrong, was proving to be a very difficult task at the moment.</p><p>“Can we continue with the lesson tomorrow? I could use some rest right now”</p><p>“If that is your wish. But for what you describe to me about your situation, the time we have is scarce, and the forces trying to harm you will not rest until they succeed”</p><p>And so, they continued for a couple more hours.</p><p>---------</p><p>Daphne Greengrass could not believe what had happened right in front of her eyes. The entire Slytherin house did nothing as one of their own was accused without any evidence whatsoever, and no one stood up for him. Even she was ashamed of not speaking up! Even though loyalty was not one of Slytherin traits, she felt Harry deserved better from his housemates. After all, he had always contributed for the benefit of them all, working hard and earning a lot of house points from their teachers. ‘<em>And for saving the school on the chamber of secrets</em>’ she thought, with a light blush on her face. No, he deserved better. And if no one was willing to take that first step in that direction, net even his best friend, she was going to be the one to do it. In the morning she was going to talk to him about the situation.</p><p>---------</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>HARRY POTTER, THE BOY-WHO-LIVED, MISSING?</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <em>By Rita Skeeter</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Harry Potter, age 14, famous by being the one to defeat You-Know-Who when he was just a baby, has not been seen or heard of since October 31<sup>st</sup>, one week ago. Since Halloween, a night where he was also called as the fourth champions on the Triwizard Tournament (see p7 for more details), that no one saw or spoke with Harry. He was last seen leaving the Slytherin Common room after a fight with some of his housemates. Concerns about the safety and protection of our young students have been raised by some parents. Does the headmaster know something about the boy’s whereabouts? And how will he respond to the accusations of incapability to protect the school and those within?...</em>
</p><p>A very tired Albus Dumbledore rubbed his eyes after finishing the article on today’s paper. This situation had gone too far. He had tried to give Harry space, but with the Prophet starting to ask around, he had to do something. His position as headmaster was too important in his plans to be put a risk by some meddling reporter. He knew Harry was still within the school, the wards hadn’t warned him of anyone leaving and the kitchen house elves reported that harry used to swing by the kitchens once a day to get some food. He was going to have a heart to heart with the boy.</p><p>---------</p><p>The training with Salazar was being the hardest thing in Harry’s life so far. At this point he almost would prefer another Basilisk to kill. Salazar pushed him hard, with a sense of urgency and a demand for commitment that was tough on the fourteen year old. Harry was grateful for the dedication, no doubt about that, and the progress he had made was astonishing, but he was really taking it hard, going to bed exhausted every night. At the same time, Salazar made Harry finish the preparations for the first ritual, one that had one main goal, fix his eyesight.</p><p>&amp;&amp;&amp;</p><p>“Rituals have an element of sacrifice attached to it. That sacrifice must be something with an equal value to you as what your gaining with the ritual. Usually, blood is sufficient for the simpler rituals, but some more demanding ones, bigger sacrifices will be needed. The first ritual you going to go thru will fix small defects with your body. The fact you need glasses to see is a great weakness if your fighting someone. If they can take the glasses from you, then they made you useless.”</p><p>“Fix my eyesight… that- that would be amazing, yes”</p><p>“Good. Now, the rituals we are going to perform have a Celtic origin…</p><p>&amp;&amp;&amp;</p><p>Harry finished the drawings of the Celtic symbols on the floor of the chamber, sprayed each one of them with three drops of his blood and asked Salazar “What are the words again?”</p><p>“<em>Magic o'r gorffennol, gwrandewch ar fy mhrisiau. Gyda diffygion fe'm ganwyd, ond gyda diffygion ni allaf fyw. Dewch â fi'n well!</em>”</p><p>“Very well, I think I’m ready. Wish me luck”</p><p>“We shall speak in a couple of hours my heir. Make me proud”</p><p>“MAGIC O'R GORFFENNOL, GWRANDEWCH AR FY MHRISIAU. GYDA DIFFYGION FE'M GANWYD, OND GYDA DIFFYGION NI ALLAF FYW. DEWCH Â FI'N WELL!”</p><p>And everything went dark.</p><p>---------</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>AN: Another one, I’m having some free time for now, so I’m going to be able to produce the next few chapters faster. Lets see how long I can keep this up.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Thank you all for the Reviews, I’m glad the first chapter had a positive feedback. I’m always open to that, and feel free to criticize in a constructive manner, suggestions are always welcome.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Axsultanov: I understand what you’re saying about similarities, that’s one of my favorite stories actually, but trust me this is going to be a lot different.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>PacMan99 &amp; Hit1903: I Have all the intentions to do the entire Plot I have planned for this piece of fanfiction, so if you keep enjoying it, I’ll keep providing new material for you to read</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Thank you all who commented, liked, shared and all that stuff.</strong>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Daphne Greengrass was worried. She had made a promise to herself that she would speak with Harry in the morning after the fight in the common rooms, but he hadn’t showed up for breakfast. Or lunch. Or dinner. Or any of their classes. And this went on for a week, as rumors started to grow bigger and bigger, from Harry hiding somewhere in the forbidden forest to him being killed by the ministry of magic for interfering with the Triwizard tournament. Daphne thought of those rumors as stupid gossip for people who had nothing better to do, but she couldn’t stop herself from worrying about him. Some of the time she even questioned herself why she was so worried about him. They were friends, yes, but not that close. Tracy and Blaze were Harry’s best friends, not her. They’d probably wouldn’t even be more than acquaintances if she wasn’t so close to Tracy.</p>
<p>The article on the Prophet was what set her up to a more active role. She had read it a dozen times, and with every read, she became more anxious. That’s what set her up to go and talk with Blaze. After all, they were really close, he must knew something for sure.</p>
<p> “Are you sure he didn’t gave you any hints about were he might go? Somewhere he may have mentioned in the past? A place he would go if something like this happened?” asked daphne to a very exasperated Blaise Zambini.</p>
<p>“I already told you no, I have no idea where he is. I tried all the places I could think of, but unless he went to Sirius, I don’t know where he could be.”</p>
<p>“Sirius? You mean Sirius Black? The escaped convict who killed his parents? Why would he do something so stupid?”</p>
<p>Blaise felt like he could punch himself right now. How had he let slip the secret of Harry’s godfather? ‘<em>Harry is going to be so mad with me when he finds out</em>’ Stuttering around trying to find an excuse, he was saved by Tracy, who was just coming out of her room.</p>
<p>“Are you asking Blaise about Harry again? And why are you so worried about Potter anyway? You never seem to get on with him all that much, you just seem to tolerate him due to his friendship with Blaze and I” asked a very curious, and in daphne’s opinion, sometimes very meddling, Tracy Davis.</p>
<p>“I’m not worried, he already proved he can take care of himself. I just don’t think we treated him fairly and I wanted to apologize. As should you!”</p>
<p>“Yeah yeah, I know. It was a very dick move from our part. When, or better, if he comes back we should give him more of a chance to explain himself!</p>
<p>“If he comes back? Don’t say it like that!”</p>
<p>“Well this really messed you up didn’t it? I wonder why…” Teased Tracy, winking in a very obvious way at Daphne.</p>
<p>“Oh don’t you even try!” said Daphne in exasperation.</p>
<p>They both laughed together, smoothing a little bit the tension they had both been in for the last couple of days.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>Fleur Delacour’s feelings were mixed. She was feeling a mix of a very strong anger and at the same time, she couldn’t avoid been curious about that small little boy. She had been training for this tournament ever since she heard it might make a return, feeling the need to prove herself to all the people who mocked or hated on her for something she couldn’t control.</p>
<p> She had born a Veela, it really wasn’t her choice to have such an enticing physique or a very strong allure, that had a tendency to leave the men around her drooling like idiots. And then having that boy call the tournament, that meant so much to her, stupid and then proceeding to disregard the chance he had been given was just enraging to her.</p>
<p> On the other side, even in France children like her were told the story of the boy-who-lived, how a simple baby had defeated one of the most powerful dark wizards of all time. There had to be something special about him, and the rumors she had heard about him slaying a basilisk at the age of twelve didn’t really served to ease her feeling that he was someone to look out for.</p>
<p>Fleur was lost in her thoughts as she walked to the Beauxbatons carriages with her allure way more unrestrained as she usually kept it and unknowingly walked thru a couple doing in a picnic with the view of the lake. The couple looked a few years younger than her, but that didn’t stop the guy, a tall redhead with a face full of freckles just started drooling in her direction like so many before him. The girl, seeing the attention of her boyfriend changing, looked at Fleur and a look of realization filled her face, followed by a look of pure anger.</p>
<p>The girl immediately got up and furiously walked in Fleur’s direction. The Veela, only now noticing she had started some commotion, sighed and prepared for what was to come. She had done this so many times, it was just routine.</p>
<p>“What do you think your doing?” The bushy brown hair girl asked, pulling out her wand in the middle of her rage.</p>
<p>Fleur put on the mask of arrogance as she was so used to do and replied with a calm and teasing tone “I’m just taking a walk little girl, it’s not my fault your boyfriend cant keep it in his pants!”</p>
<p>“You- You- He- Yes he can! Its not his fault your charming him with your magic!”</p>
<p>Fleur took her time replying, looking at the girl from head to toes “Well, its not my fault your little boyfriend is so weak minded he’s just drooling like an idiot. Maybe you should think about choosing a better man next time.”</p>
<p> Sick of always being victim of this kind of attitudes, Fleur decided to tease the girl even further and winked at the ginger boyfriend, causing the girl to point her wand against Fleur. Fleur laughed, as if a simple fourteen year old girl could ever harm her. In a blink, she pulled out her wand as well and before the younger girl could even spit out the first syllable of whatever spell she intended to use, a quick Expelliarmus from Fleur sent the other girl’s wand flying far away.</p>
<p>Understanding she was outclassed, a fuming Hermione Granger turned around and grabbed her boyfriend, who was still looking at Fleur like she was the most amazing thing in the world and dragged him away.</p>
<p>Fleur looked at them, felling bad with herself for ruining what looked like a very pleasant picnic date, that sadness only increased by the hint of jealousy for the other girl, because at least the girl was able to have a boyfriend who could take her on a normal date without making an idiot of himself in her presence.</p>
<p>Fleur had tried having dates a couple of times, accepting one or two invitations from the boys who had been able to at least speak to her like a normal person and asked her out, but even those boys didn’t last long, turning themselves into drooling messes with just a couple of minutes in her presence.</p>
<p>It was a lonely life, the one that Fleur lead. Almost unable to even be friends with the male part of the population and with a significant part of the other half being envious of her looks and beauty. She grabbed the small necklace on her neck, the necklace that contained a photo of the most precious thing in the world for Fleur. Her sister.</p>
<p>Resuming her walk to the carriages and going back to her thoughts, one thing came to her mind that stopped her right in her tracks.</p>
<p>‘<em>Harry Potter hadn’t even stuttered when he had spoken with her’</em></p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>Dumbledore was starting to get seriously concerned. For the first time in a week, according to the house elves, Harry had not showed up in the kitchen to get food. He didn’t know what had happened for that routine to change, but he couldn’t afford losing any more time with Harry’s reappearance. He had to find the boy quickly otherwise the board of directors could start listening to the questions made by the Daily Prophet.</p>
<p>He calmly walked to the teacher’s apartments, stopped in front of the one with the name Alastor Moody, and gently knocked.</p>
<p>“Albus, what a surprise to see you here! How can I help you, old friend?”</p>
<p>“Alastor, hello, yes. I need your help with something. I need you to find young Harry. He hasn’t showed up where I thought he would, and all the tracking charms I have placed on the boy for the last couple of years don’t seem to be working. You know the importance of the boy in the fight against Voldemort, shall he rise once again. He must not be killed or harmed, and more than anything, he cannot escape our control and supervision.”</p>
<p>“Of course Albus, I’ll find him shortly.”</p>
<p>“Thank you old friend, have a goodnight then.”</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>It hurt. It hurt so, so much. Worse than the basilisk. Worse than the Cruciatus curse from the remnant of Tom Riddle. Harry had never experienced so much pain in his life. He felt his bones were being ripped out of his body. His muscles stretched and ripped apart one by one. His eyes burned like two suns on his face. At that moment, Harry wished to die, in hopes that the pain would stop.</p>
<p>And then it did. Entirely. Completely. Like it never even existed. And after the split second of nothingness, an unimaginable bliss filled his entire body, and Harry felt like his entire world was made of peace, quiet, and pleasure. And then it all stopped and harry drifted into unconsciousness. Hours passed, and the young boy started to wake up, feeling like we had been hit by a high-speed train. His entire body felt sore, a mixed feeling of a hungover and the mourning after of a very intense workout. He thought to himself. <em>‘I did it! I finished my first ritual and survived</em>’. Very slowly, he opened his eyes, and for the first time in his entire life, he could see clearly.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>
  <strong>AN: There is a four-day Holiday in my country, but everyone is forbidden to leave the house, which is giving me time to focus on writing. I expect to be able to put out three or four more chapters before I must get back do day-to-day life. (if inspiration is kind to me, of course)</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Things are starting to get interesting now, as Harry will eventually have to reappear, and how him and the rest of Hogwarts community will react to the consequences of the rituals.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>I want to thank you all for the comments you have been leaving in this story, I have received nothing but love, and some of them really just made me smile while I stare at the screen.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>As always, reviews of constructive criticism are always welcome. If you enjoy, like, share, kudos, or whatever I’m supposed to say at this time. I’m sure you know what I mean.</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Salazar Slytherin was looking humorously at harry, as apparently the ritual had some unexpected side effects. How could Salazar have predicted that something had been dampening Harry’s growth?</p>
<p>The boy had come out of the ritual at least two or three inches bigger. His body was also way more defined, his muscles were slightly bigger, with broader shoulders, longer arms, bigger hands and feet.</p>
<p>He was currently at the mirror, evaluating himself.</p>
<p>“How is the possible? The ritual was only supposed to fix my eyes, right?” Asked an amazed Harry.</p>
<p>“Well, no, not really. The ritual corrects all the flaws of your genes and leaves them at their maximum natural potential. One of the effects is the genes that made your eyes faulty would be repair, other your physical form would be slightly improved, even though if you want to keep it you’ll have to work out, and any genetic disease would be cured. What I didn’t predict was that somehow, due to something I cant be sure of, your growth had been way slower than it should have been, and now that something was taken out of the way  your body, with the help of your magic, its making up the difference. The correction may have already been made, or you may grow a lot more. Only genetics and time will tell.”</p>
<p>“So, I may grow a lot more as fast as this?” Asked Harry, with a hint of concern in his voice.</p>
<p>“Yes, you may. But isn’t that good? Your being restored to what you always should have been! Strong, tall, imponent and, when I’m finished with your, powerful!”</p>
<p>“I mean, yes, its amazing! I’d be taller than most of my friends, but how will I explain this to other people? That all of a sudden, I look so different? I don’t think it’s a good idea to spread around that I’m doing rituals on myself. I’m not the biggest knower of the magical world, but I don’t hear a lot of people bragging of performing rituals!”</p>
<p>“In my time, rituals were very common. Every family had their own set of rituals they would do, and usually kept them a secret from the rest. Some families were known to have several traits in common, some aesthetic and some magical. Some of the rituals had a presence so strong, that they stopped being needed, as they would naturally pass on thru generations.”</p>
<p>“Do you know any of the Potter traits? Or there even any?” Harry was now eagerly curious, as he got with every opportunity he had to learn even a bit more about his family.</p>
<p>“The Potter’s have always been a mysterious house, they were usually very reserved. With that said, it was hard not to notice the affinity your ancestors had for the field of transfiguration. I remember giving some advice in one the projects that one of the Potters of my time was working on, and those projects ended advance the study of the subject by a lot.”</p>
<p>“Well, that’s good to know. Defense and Transfiguration were always my best two subjects, so I guess that makes sense. Thank you Salazar” Harry’s heart was warming up, having a new connection to his father’s family, and a connection he was familiar with “But we still haven’t figured out how I’m going to deal with my physical changes”</p>
<p>“Your welcome, my child. About that, as you don’t have a way of explaining the matter, my advice is to just don’t talk about it. Questions will rise, but just divert them or change subjects. Do something to change the focus of the conversation and eventually, people will get used to it and the subject will die down.”</p>
<p>“I’ll try, then. Now I need to eat. I’m starving!”</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>Harry had stored a lot of food. On the first few days, he had to run to the kitchens on a daily basis in order for the food not to spoil. Then Salazar had taught him the stasis charm, and after some tries Harry was able to keep the food from going bad for more than a week. So he had gathered reserves in order to not have to leave the chamber. He missed his friends, he missed classes, the meals on the Great Hall. Salazar’s company, while very interesting and with an immense amount of knowledge, was not enough. He missed Blaise, Tracy and the rest of his friends. He missed worrying about dumb things, hearing the latest gossip, he almost, almost missed Snape. His relationship with his head of house was a complicated one.</p>
<p>On one side Harry was a Slytherin, and Snape always gave Slytherins some special treatment. On the other hand, for some reason Harry was never truly sure of, Snape seemed to hate him. He had his hypotheses on the matter, the stronger one going back to the first time they had met.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>
  <em>Potions lessons took place down in one of the dungeons.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Snape, like Flitwick, started the class by taking the roll call, and like Flitwick, he paused at Harry’s name. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Ah, yes,” he said softly, “Harry Potter. Our new -- celebrity.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Snape finished calling the names and looked up at the class. His eyes were black, cold and empty and made you think of dark tunnels.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making,” he began. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but they caught every word. Like professor McGonagall in their previous class, Snape had the gift of keeping a class silent without any effort.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don’t expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins. Bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses… I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death -- if you aren’t as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Silence followed Snape’s opening speech. One Gryffindor girl, Hermione Granger, moved closer to the edge of her seat, looking desperate to prove she wasn’t a dunderhead.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Potter!” said Snape suddenly. “What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to and infusion of wormwood?”</em>
</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>And that was the question Harry thought was the key to Snape’s hatred for him. At the time he didn’t know the answer, but later on when he went to study that question, in an attempt not to be surprised again, he was dumbfounded when he found out that asphodel was a type of lily. His mother’s name. and that wormwood was often associated with regret of bitterness. Harry didn’t though it to be a coincidence and had a suspicion Snape knew his mother in some way.</p>
<p>Shaking the thoughts of his head of house from his head, Harry sat down to eat, while making plans for what to do next. He knew the first task was to be on November 24<sup>th</sup>, even if he had no clue on what that first task would be. He would have to leave the chamber and try to gather some intel on the tournament. If they were going to force him to be a part of that, the least he would do was give is best, and maybe, with a bit of luck win it and put the arrogant French witch in her place.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>
  <strong>Ten days since we have last seen Harry Potter, one of Britain’s heroes</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <em>By Rita Skeeter</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Ten days have now went by since Harry Potter was last seen, leaving the Slytherin common room, after a fight with some of his house mates. As this reported has written before, after that event no one has seen or heard of the Boy-Who-Lived since then. The school and Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, who is also the Supreme Mugwump of the ICW and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, has made no visible effort to find our young hero, and questions are being made. The ministry of Magic has started to make some pressure on Dumbledore and the Hogwarts board of directors in order for some more active investigation on the matter, even threatening to hand over the case to the aurors, to be handled as a kidnaping.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Lets all hope and pray for young Harry to reaper safe and well, very shortly.</em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>Albus Dumbledore was feeling the immense pressure he was being put on. The prophet wasn’t wrong when they said the Ministry was pressuring him. Fudge had indeed spoken with the board, and Lucius Malfoy, as their president, was always looking for an excuse to fire him.</p>
<p>On the other hand, the presence of Aurors around the school was a terrible prospect to Albus, as his control would be severally diminished. Moody had to come up with something, and fast.</p>
<p>Sending a Patronus message to his friend summoning him to his office, Albus stroke Fawkes feathers thoughtful.</p>
<p>Alastor Moody arrived shortly after, and Albus eagerly question him “Any news about Harry? Have you been able to find where he is or where he’s staying?”</p>
<p>Taking a seat in one of the two chairs in from of the Headmaster, he ex-auror responded “Nothing. Hogwarts is a dead end. I wonder around the entire school, looked around with my ‘special’ eye, and couldn’t find anything. No traces of the boy or of a long stay somewhere not supposed to. I don’t thing the boy is in the castle, Albus.”</p>
<p>“That is impossible, Alastor. As you know the wards warn me every time someone enters or leaves this castle. And I have not received any warning of Harry Potter leaving!”</p>
<p>“Hogwarts always had a lot a secrets, maybe the boy is somewhere we don’t know of. Maybe somewhere inaccessible to us.”</p>
<p>And all of a sudden it hit him. And could he forget such an obvious answer? Harry Potter had to be in the room of requirement. It was the only option Albus could think of. The room would provide him with everything he needed to live except for food, with would justify his need to go to the kitchen. It was so obvious Dumbledore facepalmed himself. He had to go there.</p>
<p>“very well, keep on your search then. If anything new comes up, please keep me posted.” Dumbledore quickly dismissed Moody and made haste in the direction of what he knew be the entrance of the room of requirement.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>Fleur Delacour had one thought that couldn’t leave her mind at night. In the last few days, she couldn’t stop thinking about Harry Potter. This was not a normal situation for her. She had never thought that much about a male, specially not a boy three years younger than her. It was not a physical attraction, that was for sure. After all, he was way younger than her, and had quite a boyish appearance. No, she was interested in his power.</p>
<p>Veela had a tendency to be attracted to the most powerful wizards, being those the only ones with enough strength of mind to resist their allure, and tails of Harry Potter’s prowess where widely known. Being the sole defeater of Voldemort, and doing it as a baby, was already a hint of his power. Even if a lot of people though about that as a very lucky incident, defeating a fully grown wizard at eleven and slaying a Basilisk at twelve, those were definitely proof he was someone above average.</p>
<p>And because of that, Fleur caught herself think more and more about him. She felt the need to speak with him again, to make sure he could resist her for real, and it wasn’t just a coincidence or a one time thing. But the fact he’d disappear after being sorted as a champion and that no one knew where he was, made that impossible. And only increased the mystery surrounding him.</p>
<p>She knew the Wand weighing ceremony was approaching, and that the presence of all the champions was required, so he had to make an appearance there. And then she’d have her chance. Making her plans on how to approach the boy, she slowly drifted into sleep.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>
  <strong>AN: And with this, another chapter is finished.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Yes, harry is going to grew quite a lot from the ritual. As some studies show, physical and mental violence and abuse can lead to physical growth being slowed down, and as its very explicit in the story, Harry was a victim of both with the Dursley’s. </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>And about the affinity for transfiguration, they always pointed out he was a genius in the field, achieving being an Animagus from a very young age. I like this explanation for the source of that ability and helps with the idea that each family/house had unique traits passed down from generations.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>AMidsummerknightsSlumber: This may become Harry x Daphne, may became Harry x Fleur, or even maybe Harry x Daphne x Fleur. I have it semi-planned in my head, but thing may change. I’m finding it easier to write Fleur at the moment, but due to age, Dpahne may be more obvious. Who knows? Only me I guess.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Sonia25: Of course the rituals should be maintained mainly a secret. But with physical changes so big, sometimes its hard to keep quiet.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Raymondjay41: I leave them at cliffhangers mainly when I know I’m going to be able to put out the next chapter fast. About longer chapters, I expect most of them to be around 2-3k words, with some longer ones at bigger events. I like them this way, because I don’t lose myself in chapters who are too big</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Thank you all who reviewed and followed. Keep those comments coming</strong>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Episkey” said Harry, for the tenth time, having his dislocated finger put in place once again.</p><p>He was training healing spells, on the request of Salazar. Harry had remembered to ask for Salazar to teach him how to apparate, but Salazar was very reluctant to do so, claiming it was not good to learn how to do it alone, with of risk of splinching being very real for the first couple of tries. But Harry had insisted, and Salazar eventually caved in, but put as a requirement that Harry learned some healing spells first. Thinking they might be useful, Harry agreed.</p><p>But the problem with training healing spells is that you needed something to heal. And so it started the very painful method of harry performing minor injuries on himself and then healing them.</p><p>“I think I can perform the healing charms well enough, don’t you think? Or you just like watching me have masoquist behavior?</p><p>“Very well, very well, I’ll teach you the basics of apparition now, don’t keep hurting yourself.” Defended Salazar “Apparition has three main components, Destination, Determination and Magical Power. And of course, all of them come from intent, the basic of magic. For Destination, as is the most obvious, you need to imagine the place you want to go to. You need do focus on the place you want to be in, with the most details you can muster. For Determination, apparition is just your magic manifesting your desire to be somewhere different from the place you are right now. So, for that part, you have to will yourself in being in the destination on your mind. Magical Power affects the distance you can travel. Only the strongest wizards can travel great distances, for example across the English Channel. On the top of the top in terms of magical power can do that jump. So don’t go risk trying to apparate too far away, or your body may fail and you can end up dying. Understood me?”</p><p>“I did. See where I want to go, will myself to be there, and don’t go crazy on the distance travelled. Is that all?”</p><p>“That’s the basics of it, yes. Now, you can’t apparate inside Hogwarts or the school grounds, they are warded against it. If you try, bouncing of wards can be very painful, even though it probably won’t kill you. The chamber is a special place, I warded it to my blood, so my descendants can come here as they please. If your able to apparate inside the chamber, that would be definite prove of the presence of my blood on yours, in case you still have any doubts.”</p><p>“What would happen if I try and I’m not one of your descenders?”</p><p>“You are, so lets not worry about that, child”</p><p>“Tell me, what would happen if I tried?” insisted a worried Harry Potter</p><p>“Well, if it was a side apparition with someone of my blood, you would be fine, but if you tried it alone… You would die. Instantly. The wards around the chamber are very strong, and programed to kill, not just to keep out.”</p><p>Harry thought about the possibility for a few seconds. “Well, so at least it would be quick.” He joked, trying to relieve some of the tension he was feeling. “let’s do this then”</p><p>“Okay, so what I want you to do is stand in one of the sides of the chamber and try to apparate on the other side. Close your eyes when your focusing.</p><p>Harry did so, standing on one of the sides, he closed his eyes and tried to imagine himself on the other side. He felt a small tingling down his spine, and very excitedly open his eyes.</p><p>“I’m in the same spot” he said, disappointment all over his face.</p><p>“Indeed you are” said Salazar with a laugh “what did you expect? Being able to do something that sometimes even adult wizards struggle to do at your first try?”</p><p>“Well, when you put it that way… but yes, that was what I was expecting!”</p><p>“Sorry to inform you, but that’s not how this goes. Keep practicing, eventually it will start to work.”</p><p>And so it started a long period of hours with Harry trying once and once again, and failing every time.</p><p>---------</p><p>He had tried everything he could. Every question he could think of, every way to enter, and the room was always empty. Harry definitely wasn’t in the Room of Requirement.</p><p>Dumbledore sighed. How had he managed to lost track of the most important student in his school?</p><p>The Headmaster was becoming desperate and feeling rather powerless. And powerless wasn’t something he was used to feel.</p><p>The pressure from the Ministry was increasing by the day, that woman, skeeter was making articles about Harry’s almost daily and was coming up with some very uncomfortable questions, calling into question Dumbledore’s ability to run Hogwarts.</p><p>Trying to buy himself some time and quiet down a little bit the rumor’s surrounding the situation, Dumbledore decided to call a press release. He would make a gamble with the chance of Harry coming up soon.</p><p>---------</p><p>Everyone was tensed around the Slytherin common room. Two weeks had now pass since Harry’s disappearance and the entire house was feeling anxious. Even Malfoy, who loved to antagonize Potter was a bit nervous about the situation. The repercussions from Professor Snape, their head of house, had been dire.</p><p>Snape may had not been the biggest fan of Harry Potter, but he was still a member of his house, and seeing his own students, the Slytherins he was so proud of, acting so hotheaded to the point that lead to one of their own members disappearing into thin air had make him angry.</p><p>He started by taking five hundred points from Slytherin house, making their chance of winning Hogwarts yearly competition, the house cup, completely impossible. A measure that came as a surprise to all students, no matter what house. Snape never took points from Slytherin. In fact, he was the most biased among the teachers, always giving points for useless achievements from his own house.</p><p>Feeling taking points wasn’t enough, he punished the entire house with a detention.</p><p>Every weekend, one of the years, starting from the seventh and ending with the first, would have to clean the entire owlery, by hand, with no use of magic. This would repeat twice, with every year having to spend two entire weekend stuck in the middle of owl droppings.</p><p>It was a very harsh punishment, specially for the younger years, but no one even dared to speak up, they all understood Snape was being serious about the subject and feared that if any of them would speak up, the consequences would be even worse.</p><p>It was in the middle of all of all this tension that Daphne Greengrass found herself in. To add to all of this, her best friend was feeling very depressed, filled with the remorse of not having done something more in Harry’s defense. Tracy was constantly in a down mood, and she dragged Daphne down with her. Blaise was even worse though, he had lost almost ten pounds and the dark circles under his eyes from a lot of sleepless nights were very noticeable.</p><p>So, when all of a sudden, they received a notice that Dumbledore was giving a press conference about the whereabouts of Harry Potter, a glimmer of hope filled the minds of every Slytherin in Hogwarts. At the same time, the expectation of the welcoming of Harry back into their house was dauting, no one knowing how it would go.</p><p>With a lot of mixed feelings, the Slytherin students, as well as the rest of the students of Hogwarts, made their way to the Great hall, were Dumbledore would speak to the student body as well as the press.</p><p>---------</p><p>Fleur Delacour was in the Ravenclaw table together with some other Beauxbatons students, even though most of her colleagues didn’t care enough about the situation to spend a part of their they there. Almost no Durmstrang student was present as well, with only their champion, Viktor Krum as well as two other students, friends of his apparently, present.</p><p>There was a lot of press present was well, but the one most people kept looking at was a curly blonde woman who wore some unusual looking classes and a very ugly green jacket. Fleur assumed her to be Rita Skeeter, the women who wrote all those articles in Britain’s main newspaper, the Daily Prophet.</p><p> While she waited, she looked around the Hogwarts students. She noticed the girl from the picnic looking at her trying to stare her to death while the boyfriend sat on the opposite side of the table, looking at Fleur like she was the sun and the stars. <em>‘God, I really did a number on that one, didn’t I?’</em> she thought to herself, feeling bad for the entire situation.</p><p>At that moment Dumbledore entered the room, and everyone went quiet.</p><p>With a slight Sonorous charm on himself, the old man started his statement.</p><p>“As your all aware, the whereabouts of Mister Harry Potter have been widely discussed in the last two weeks. Hypotheses have been put forward, from grounded possible theories to widely insane ones. I’ve kept my silence in respect for Mister Potter wishes, as per the agreement we made on that fateful night, when his name has come out of the Goblet of Fire. And the plan was for the situation to stay that way, according to Mister Potter’s desires. As his well-being is being put in question, as well as my competence to lead and protect the great students of Hogwarts, I’ve decided to provide you with some information about the matter.</p><p>Harry Potter is at the moment, as he has been in the past two weeks, in a location that shall remain a secret. Mister Potter personally asked me from some time away from the student body in order to prepare himself, both mentally as well as magically for this tournament.”</p><p><em>‘Well that sounds weird’</em> Thought Fleur to herself <em>‘and why haven’t we, the other champions, being granted similar benefits?’</em> She could really use a few days away from people, without the constant effort to restrain her allure.</p><p>“Due to the fact that Mister Potter is at such a disadvantage against his opponents, I’ve decided to grant him that request, and mister potter shall return to Hogwarts when he feels ready, but not after the Wand Weighing Ceremony, that shall happen on the 21<sup>st</sup> of November, as I’m sure you are all aware. And that’s all the information I will provide today. I just want to provide everyone at this school and the people paying attention at home a relief to their worries.”</p><p>“How do we know you’re not lying?” Asked the reporter that had caught Fleurs attention before.</p><p>“Ahh miss Skeeter, yes. You have been of the most worried about Mister Potter, I’m sure. And to answer your question, the people of Britain have my word as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot and Supreme Mugwump of the ICW that all I have said today is true. Any other questions?”</p><p>“Yes, Mr. Dumbledore. My name is Kayla McDougall, for the Wizard news radio station. Can you speak a bit more about the kind of preparations Mister Potter is going thru for the tournament?”<br/>
“Miss McDougall, an excellent question. Unfortunately, doing by best to respect Mister Potter desire for privacy, I will not provide any more information about what he’s currently going thru.”</p><p>This went on for a while more, with the reporters trying to squeeze more information from Dumbledore, and his responding in his typical grandfather style, but not providing any more useful information.</p><p>Fleur didn’t pay them almost any attention, with the information she wanted having already been confirmed.</p><p>She would be able to confront the boy in one week’s time.</p><p>---------</p><p>
  <em>         Dear harry,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Hope all the training and preparation your going thru for the task is going well. Dumbledore spoke today and told everyone what happened, your request for privacy and all. But despite that, I felt the need to write you this letter. Tracy and I have been worried sick about something happening to you. The regret we both feel about not standing up to help you is palpable. Tracy has been in a depressed state for almost a week. And Blaise is even worst. He barely eats and I’m pretty sure he hasn’t slept in days. They both understand you are angry with them but trust me when I say if the situation was to happen again, they would fight every single member of our house in your defense. They are both, we are all, taking your disappearance very hard. I know we haven’t been the best of friends, but a word from you to them would do wanders. If hope this letter reaches you wherever you are staying.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Best of luck with the preparations and, if we don’t speak before, with the wand weighing ceremony and the first task,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Daphne  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>She had read the letter at least twenty times, but couldn’t find a way to make it better, so she tied it to one of the Hogwarts owls, and said</p><p>“Please deliver this to Harry Potter”</p><p>The owl looked at her for a few seconds and then lifted high in the air and disappeared into the darkness of the night.</p><p>Because the Curfew time was close, she made haste in the direction of the dungeons.</p><p>---------</p><p>Harry fell face first on the floor. Apparating was proving to be harder than he thought. He spent the first couple of hours in the same place, not moving even one inch, all the while Salazar was laughing at him. Then all the sudden he was falling to the floor, several feet away from him starting position.</p><p>He kept trying, luckily with only minor injuries, even though he was going to have to go to madam Pomfrey to ask I f she could regrow the half eyebrow he had lost. At this point, he was being able to apparate close to the place he was setting as his destination, but he still wasn’t being able to stick the landing softly and ended up on the floor almost half his tries.</p><p>Salazar was roaring with laughter even saying that was the most fun he had in centuries.</p><p>Harry was not as happy as Salazar, but the feeling of accomplishment, was starting to make itself present, as his tries were becoming more and more successful.</p><p>Harry was focusing on his destination again, when the flap of wings scared him to death.</p><p>“I didn’t know owls could fin us here” he commented to Salazar.</p><p>“I built this place with long stays in mind, you really thought I would not provide owls with a way in? Sometimes I really question if you really are my heir, from those dumb assumptions you make.”<br/>
Taking that comment lightly, as he was starting to get use to Salazar half sarcastic half bitter remarks, we grabbed the letter from the arriving owl. She disappeared seconds later, as Harry was reading the letter.</p><p>He was surprised Daphne had written him. They were friends, yes, but not that close. He’d expect Tracy or and specially Blaise to do it first. As he kept reading the letter, he started getting angry.</p><p>
  <em>‘how dared Dumbledore speak on his name, and lie?’</em>
</p><p>He read the letter out loud to Salazar, and angrily asked when he finished</p><p>“How dares that useless old man to lie in my name? I’ll have to come out and explain everything!”</p><p>“Most important of all,”  interrupted Salazar “What is that wand weighing ceremony the girl spoke about?”</p><p>---------</p><p>
  <strong>AN: And this completes the fifth chapter of this work. I want to thank you all for the support, the fact that this fic has almost 3k views from both platforms I post in (ao3 and fnfcdotnet) and around 200 followers/kudos in just 3 days is more than I ever imagine would happen, so thank you all.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Galagon17: as I said before, I’ve read that story, and I’m aware there’s some similarities for now. The pairings are similar yes, but as I said before, this is the story I would like to read, and these two are my favorite pairings, so I’ve chosen them. The concept of the Chambers as more than the place for the basilisk to rest and with a conscious Salazar in there is a concept I loved since I read “A Cadmean Victory” from DarknessEnthroned (a fic I would absolutely recommend btw). The story will differ from HP&amp;ITT, and a lot.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>This chapter puts this work over 10k words, and that was a big milestone to me, now lets aim for that 100k?</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Thanks for following, reviewing, kudos, and all.</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The mood in the Hogwarts Great Hall had improved drastically after Dumbledore’s press conference. While the Hufflepuffs were still mad at Harry for obscuring the fact that they had finally won something against the other houses, with Cedric Diggory being selected as champion, and the Gryffindors taking every opportunity to hate on Slytherins, the mood in the house of the snakes was way more relaxed then it had been in the last few weeks.</p><p>People were now talking with each other, jokes run around the table, the spirits were lifted.</p><p>Daphne sat besides Tracey with Blaise and Theo in front of them.</p><p>“So, what do you think this training is about? Do you think Dumbledore is teaching him something special? Like combat magic or something on the likes of that?” asked Theo.</p><p>“How would we know? Its not like we have been speaking with him lately. No more than you do.” Replied Blaise, who was beginning to tire up from all the people trying to know more about Harry. Neither of them had still heard a thing from their friend, so asking them was useless. People just didn’t seem to understand that.</p><p>“Either way, the truth is Harry has always been one of the best students in our year. If any of us has a chance of doing something in the tournament, its him.” said Tracey, feeling the need to defend his friend. “Harry has done some amazing things since he came to Hogwarts, maybe he will surprise us this year as well, specially if Dumbledore is helping him.”</p><p>“We just have to wait and see” argued Daphne, feeling a bit tired from all the speculation about the subject “Neither one of us know anything so…”</p><p>Daphne was interrupted by a sudden deafening noise, as the doors of the Great Hall were slammed open and a very angry man walked in, making his way to the teachers table, with his eyes set on the headmaster, who had stopped eating and was looking at the man with a mix of anxiety and a hint of fear visible on his face.</p><p>The man looked rather familiar, and when he passed thru her, Daphne recognized him.</p><p>“His that Harry?” She whispered to Tracey “He looks so different! And where are his glasses?”</p><p>“It is,” she responded “but he’s different! Something happened!”</p><p>---------</p><p>Fleur Delacour was having dinner in the Hogwarts Great Hall, at the Ravenclaw table. Her school mates had chosen this table at their first meal and apparently it was going to stick for the rest of the year. Maybe it was because of the colors, with both Ravenclaws and the Beauxbatons uniforms being blue, she though. As usually, she ate in silence, not being comfortable with speaking with the random people around her and the lack of friends being evident.</p><p>In only her sister had been allowed to accompany them, she’d have someone to keep her company. They had tried, with Fleur begging to Madame Maxime and, when she had said no, Fleur asked her dad, the French Minister of Magic, to put pressure on the situation. His father, unfortunately, even though he would do anything for his precious little girls, wasn’t able to do much, as Beauxbatons had a lot of independence from the Ministry, being almost impossible for even the Minister to influence Madam Maxime’s decisions. So Fleur had left Gabrielle behind for the first time since her sister birth, and she missed her more than anything.</p><p>There was a chance Gabrielle would have permission to come watch the third task, which would be around February or March. Fleur grabbed herself to the hope that would really happen, and she would be able to see her sister sooner than expected.</p><p>Fleur’s thoughts were interrupted by a sudden deafening noise, as the doors of the Great Hall were slammed open and a very angry man walked in, making his way to the teachers table, with his eyes set on the headmaster.</p><p>Fleur’s eyes immediately shot up to the man, with her hand holding her wand tighter, getting really if the man decided to harm anyone.</p><p>As we walked across the Hall and got closer to Fleur, she noticed his eyes. They were of a very intense green, and looked rather familiar, even though Fleur couldn’t really point out where she’d saw them.</p><p>As she inspected him closer, only one possibility presented to her</p><p>
  <em>‘Is that Harry Potter?’</em>
</p><p>---------</p><p>Harry Potter had spent hours arguing with Salazar about what to do regarding Dumbledore.</p><p>Harry, still hurt from Dumbledore not believing him about the Goblet of Fire, wanted to make a scandal about the lies, and try to dump as much heat as possible on the Headmaster.</p><p>Salazar had a more careful approach, arguing that Dumbledore had a powerful position and a lot of leverage with the general public, so he could come out of the situation without much repercussion, while making Harry sound like a child throwing a tantrum. His advice was for Harry to have a more direct one-on-one conversation with the headmaster, and then start to distance himself from the Headmaster.</p><p>But harry persisted, and because he had the final decision, Salazar ended up giving him one piece of advice.</p><p>“Hot-headed Gryffindor foolishness will eventually get you killed. It happened to Godric. Sometimes unpleasant people in positions of power may be more useful remaining in those positions, even if we preferred them dead.”</p><p>Years later, a more mature Harry Potter would value that advice as almost sacred.</p><p>But he was still a fourteen-year-old.</p><p>---------</p><p>Harry stopped in front of the teachers table, in the end of the great Hall.</p><p>“Headmaster, it was called to my attention that apparently we had a conversation and that with your help I went to a secure location to train for this stupid tournament you were incapable of keeping me out of. What I would like to ask you, is where in time was I obliviated of my memories of all this story. I tried to recall it, I really did. But I couldn’t. All I remember was I coming to you, asked you to believe me, even give me the benefit of the doubt but you seemed incapable of doing that, so I left. And for all I remember, our interaction stopped there. In fact, I wouldn’t be aware of all of that even happening if it wasn’t for a letter from someone of innocently thought you were saying the truth and commented it casually.”</p><p>“Harry, my boy! I’m so glad to see you, alive and well, just as I said” he chuckled, but everyone could see it was a nervous chuckle. “We don’t need to do this here, why don’t we step into my office, I can have some delivered there, and we can discuss the matter in a calm, quiet dinner?”</p><p><em>‘He really has the nerve to keep the façade up?’ </em>thought Harry.</p><p>“No thank you Headmaster, who knows what you would do to me if we were alone in your office.” He responded, his anger rising from the lack of an apology from Dumbledore. “I’d like to settle this matter in front of everyone, just like you decided it was best to lie to the people in here, about how our conversation went, about your knowledge of my well-being, and my whereabouts.”</p><p>“Well Harry, my boy you see, I didn’t lie. We had indeed a conversation, and you were indeed at a private location training for the tournament. We can see the results of that by the way, you do look different! Where are your glasses? And you’ve grown, so much! How did that happen?”</p><p>As both Harry and Salazar had expected, Dumbledore was no fool. He was trying to spin the conversation to be about Harry’s ritual consequences, something he probably could guess how it happened. Being one the most powerful wizards alive, he probably had done some himself.</p><p>This was the most dangerous part of confronting Dumbledore out in the open. He could probably recognize the effects of the rituals and push that angle.</p><p>“That’s not the point of this conversation Headmaster. We are here to discuss the fact that you lied about me and told everyone you knew where I was, when you didn’t.</p><p>At this point the Great Hall, who’d went from noisy to stunned silence, had now moved to fast and quiet whispers as revelations came forward.</p><p>Dumbledore, seeing he was gaining no points with the presence of an audience, decided to cut his losses, stood up, put on his usual Grandfather smile, and said.</p><p>“Well Harry, I don’t think this is neither the time nor the place. I’m sure your tired and miss your friends. Why don’t you go seat at the Slytherin table, have a nice reunion over the amazing feast provided by Hogwarts? This conversation is over.”</p><p>Harry was fuming. But recognizing that if see persisted he would look like a child doing a tantrum, and that that was exactly what Dumbledore wanted, gave in.</p><p>“Fine. But this is not over. And I want to ask you to, from now on, refrain yourself from approaching me about anything except your duties as Headmaster. We are not friends.”<br/>And with that one, Harry went to the Slytherin table. But before he could even come close, he was hit by a crying brunette mass.</p><p>“Harry, we are sooo sorry” she sobbed, mixed with sadness and relief “we should have stayed by your side! We should have believed you, I-I…”</p><p>---------</p><p>Daphne froze all the sudden, the moment she realized what she had done. She had jumped from Slytherin table, overwhelmed with the relief of seeing Harry again, the happiness that he had received his letter and angry at Dumbledore for lying.</p><p>She had never done something so impulsive in her life, having spent her four years at Hogwarts cultivating a cold and distant personality, only opening around her most close friends and sister.</p><p>Ashamed of her lack of control, she stepped back with her cheeks red as wine, leaving a stunned Harry frozen in his place, completely caught by surprise by Daphne’s reaction.</p><p>Seeing that the entire Hall was looking at her, all surprised by her change in attitude, she prayed for a hole to appear so she could jump inside and hide. As expected, her prayers here not heard, so she just ran away, leaving the Great Hall and only stopping when she was inside her room.</p><p>She looked herself in the mirror, self-recriminating for her lack of self-control. Why had she reacted this way? Why was Harry messing with her so much? He was not bad looking, yes. And the lack of glasses combined with the inches he had grown played in his favor, but she had known him for years, why was she so sensible to him right now?</p><p>Her thoughts were disrupted by a knock on the door.</p><p>“Get out, I don’t want to see anyone!” She answered.</p><p>“I don’t really care, so why don’t you open the door for me, sis?” Answered Astoria Greengrass, her little sister.</p><p>“Get out! I don’t need you making fun of me” She insisted.</p><p>“I’m not leaving until we have a chat!” was the response that came from the other side of the door.</p><p>Knowing of her sister’s stubbornness, Daphne caved and open the door.</p><p>“So, Harry Potter, hum? Daddy’s going to love your choice!” she teased.</p><p>“I told you I didn’t needed you making fun of me. If that’s all your going to do, you can leave now”<br/>“Easy, sis. Just trying to lighten the mood in here. So, want to tell me what happened?”</p><p>“I don’t know, I just didn’t think, okay? How did everyone react?”</p><p>“Well, Tracey kind of covered for you, saying that she depressed you so much with her own depression because of him, that it was natural you were very happy to see him”</p><p>“That was a lame excuse…” said Daphne.</p><p>“Well Daph, you didn’t really make it easy, didn’t you? Tracey did what she could in the heat of the moment.”<br/>“I guess you’re right, I should thank her tomorrow.”</p><p>“Yeah, you really should.” Curiosity getting the best of her, Astoria asked “So, thins thing for Potter, when did it begun?”</p><p>“I don’t know, I don’t even know if it’s a thing. It was all so sudden, I don’t know… I just felt so harry seeing him again…”</p><p>“Well, you better start to hide it better. If daddy knew, things would be complicated. Even if he his in Slytherin, I don’t think he’s going to be happy to know your going after the Boy-Who-lived”</p><p>“I know, I know. We wont mention this to him, okay Tori? Please?” she begged</p><p>“Of course not. Rest assured. Now go to sleep, you will have to face what you did tomorrow!”</p><p>“Since when did you became the older sister? Telling me to go to bed?”</p><p>“I’ve always been, you just didn’t knew it. Goodnight Daph.”</p><p>Good night Tori. Thank you for coming.”</p><p>Her sister smiled and left.</p><p>Wrapping herself in her blanket, exhausted from the emotional night, Daphne drifter off to sleep.</p><p>---------</p><p>
  <strong>AN: And so, it concludes chapter 6, with harry returning to the world of the living and the first reaction from Daphne. Fleurs will have her turn next chapter.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Qarz: Indeed I do. Now all i need is someone with time on their hands who volunteers to do it. If anyone’s up for it, hit me up. I try to write as clean as I can, but mistakes happen, and when you get tired, like when your trying to put out two chapters a day, they tend to happen more often.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>As always, thank you for the comments and reviews. I may not reply to them all, but I read them, and it really means a lot that a few of you are really enjoying.</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Harry didn’t know what to do. Daphne’s reaction had been a surprise. He’d watched her run away from the Hall, being unable to say a word. They had never been close friends, only hanging out with Tracey present, so what had motivated her to react that way was unknown to him. <em>‘Maybe the same thing that had motivated her to write the letter?’</em></p>
<p>Deciding that he would have time later to deal with the brunette mystery, he finished his way to the Slytherin table, taking up the place Daphne had vacated.</p>
<p>“Mate, I..” started Blaise, with an apologetic look.</p>
<p>“Don’t even bother. What is done its done. Everyone can make mistakes. You guys did one, but the truth is in the past you’ve stand by my side through thick and thin. I don’t know what hit you this time, but I can’t shut down people for one mistake. Just please don’t do it again, because I won’t be so forgiving.”</p>
<p>Harry had a lot of time to think about what to do with his friends. They had left his side in front of their all house, and that had hurt more than being cast out by the rest of the Slytherins. But Harry had time to cool down, and to look at it with another perspective. They had been by his side on his first year, even when Harry thought it was their own head of house trying to steal the stone, following him down the trap door guarded by fluffy and risking their lives on those “protections” Dumbledore had put guarding the stone.</p>
<p>On their second year, it was Tracey that made the connection about the monster being a Basilisk, and Blaise had followed Harry down to the chamber, only stopping when that idiot Lockhart had stunned him in the back.</p>
<p>Last year, once again, they had trusted him about Sirius and helped free him, with Blaise putting his life so much on the line that Werewolf Lupin had even gave him a big scratch on his torso. He had stayed very close from being turned or even being killed.</p>
<p>Adding it all together, and with Salazar insisting that Harry was going to need his friends, especially with the threat that his name showing up on the Goblet meant, he could not afford to lose his two best friends.</p>
<p>“Thanks mate, and we truly are sorry. We were wrong, you never us gave a motive to think you were lying. It won’t happen again.”</p>
<p>“Same by me!” Quickly added Tracey.</p>
<p>“Hope that’s prophetic.” Said Harry with a smile, lightening the mood “So, care to tell me what that thing with Daphne was all about?”</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p><em>‘Well, this was amusing’ </em>thought Fleur Delacour. <em>‘So, the old man was lying about everything? And the changes in Harry’s appearance were… interesting.’</em></p>
<p>Fleur lingered in the Hall, trying to see if she could catch Harry alone and put her theory to the test, but unfortunately, he quickly left, surrounded by two of his friends.</p>
<p>
  <em>‘It’s okay, I can catch him at the Wand Weighing Ceremony, just a few more days’</em>
</p>
<p>While leaving the Hall, she noticed quite a lot of men following her with their eyes, so she huffed and hasted her pace.</p>
<p>As she walked alone around the grounds in direction of the carriages, she decided to take a longer rout, enjoying the fresh air and the stroll. She went near the lake, were an odd-looking girl was throwing pieces of bread to the center of the lake. Fleur noticed the girl was wearing a blue uniform, so she was a Ravenclaw. Weirdly though Fleur didn’t recognize her, which was odd, having sat on their table for a few weeks now.</p>
<p>“Hello there, how are you? What’s your name?” She asked, smiling.</p>
<p>“Oh Hii! My name is Luna! If you are here to take my shoes, I’m sorry but someone beat you to it!”</p>
<p>“To take your shoes? Why would I do that?” Fleur asked, confused. She looked down, only then noticed the girl was bare foot. “What happened to your shoes?” She asked, fearing the worse. “You shouldn’t be here in this cold without shoes!” She said, grabbing her wand and transfiguring a rock nearby to a pair of comfortable pair of boots.</p>
<p>“Here, put this on. They will only last around two hours, but I will suffice for you to get to your room.”</p>
<p>Luna looked at the newly conjured shoes, then looked at Fleur with tears in her eyes. Leaping forward, she hugged Fleur as tight as she could.</p>
<p>Fleur, not familiar with close personal contact, except from his sister, awkwardly hugged the girl back.</p>
<p>A few moments later, Luna let go and was happily putting on her new boots. Fleur looked at the girl in more detail. She was small, blonde and with silver eyes. Now that she thought about it, she looked a lot like Gabrielle. Missing her sister deeply and worried what she might be going through without Fleur’s protection, she said.</p>
<p>“Luna, my name is Fleur. If anyone tries to steal your shoes or mess with you in anyway, tell them I will be coming for them, understood?”</p>
<p>“Yes, thank you Fleur. You do have a beautiful name. Want to help me feed the giant squid?”</p>
<p>“The giant squid? So, it’s true that there’s a giant squid in the lake?”</p>
<p>“Yes” answered Luna, laughing, happy with her new friend. “Sometimes when I throw her the bread, she comes up and shows herself. Maybe we will be lucky tonight”</p>
<p>Feeling the lack of human contact since she had come to England, Fleur joined the girl, grabbing a piece of bread and throwing it to the center of the lake “Maybe we will, I hope so”</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>This time the situation was different from the last time he had entered the Slytherin common room. This time, instead of entering alone, he entered with Blaise and Tracey by his side.</p>
<p>Once again Malfoy decided to try and tease him.</p>
<p>“Why did you comeback Potter? We didn’t need you here. We were better off without you.”</p>
<p>This time though, instead of everyone looking at Harry, furious glares from most of the Slytherins in the room, the ones who had fulfilled Snape’s punishment already more than the others, focused on Malfoy.</p>
<p>Trying to keep his cool, Harry replied “Who made you the spokesman for the entire house, Malfoy? And can’t you really get past the fact that I rejected your offer of friendship on our first day here? Four years have passed Malfoy, are you really incapable of moving past that?”</p>
<p>A few Slytherins laughed at that, but then, Tracey decided to take the roast to the next level before Malfoy could even respond.</p>
<p>“For real, Draco. With you going after Harry again and again, one might think its more than a simple school fight. Some might call it obsession, I’m starting to think its Love.”</p>
<p>At this comment, the entire common room exploded with laughter, even Goyle, one of Malfoy’s wannabe bodyguards, smirked a little.</p>
<p>Seeing the tide had turned against him, and with his cheeks getting redder by the second, Malfoy went up the stairs, into his room, followed, as always, by both Crabble and Goyle.</p>
<p>The last thing they heard him say was “When my father hears about this…”</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>With Malfoy leaving, the mood of the common room became way more friendly, and Harry, Blaise and Tracey sat down by the fireplace.</p>
<p>“So, you have to tell us were you’ve been! Everyone was asking about it over and over again.”</p>
<p>“I can’t really tell you right now, I’ll have to speak to my mentor first, see if I can share the knowledge about him.”</p>
<p>“C’mon mate, just give us something! We haven’t heard from you for more than two weeks, now you appear again, without glasses, I used to be way taller than you and now you look me in the eyes, what happened? We are you best friends, you can trust us!”</p>
<p>“Well, let’s just say something was preventing me from growing as I should, and I found a way to stop that. About my eyes, there’s this thing muggles are doing, called Lasik. Its still experimental, but very close to be approved as a safe medical procedure”</p>
<p>Harry had come up with that explanation for his lack of glasses, when we remember reading it on the summer before, during his boredom with the Dursleys. As he recalled, Lasik surgery was still experimental at the time, with clinical trials on their last proceedings, so it should be an acceptable excuse that people would accept.</p>
<p>“Doing muggle surgery now? You do like to take risks” commented Tracey. Being a pureblood, she hadn’t really ever been to the Muggle World enough to understand that muggle medicine was very advanced, sharing a bit of her peer’s views that muggles were still way more primitive than they actually were. Fortunately, she didn’t share their bigotry as well, or Harry, with a muggleborn mother and growing up with muggles, would have a hard time being her friend.</p>
<p>Blaise on the other hand, had a muggleborn dad, and even though he had been raised with her mother’s family, and even with the Zambini family being one of the most powerful magical families in Italy, he had some knowledge about the Muggle world.</p>
<p>“Muggles actually have a very advanced medicine,” he argued “they can even perform some things we can’t do with magic.”</p>
<p>Luckily for Harry, the discussion revolved around Muggle medicine from then on, with his friends not asking more about Salazar and the Chamber.</p>
<p>At some point Tracey noticed Astoria leaving the room she shared with Daphne and went to ask her something. Harry and Blaise stayed a little longer, when Harry remembered to ask.</p>
<p>So, I’ve heard there is a Wand Weighing Ceremony in the tournament, and I must be there. What do you know about it?”</p>
<p>“Not much. I know its on the 21<sup>st</sup> and that they are going to inspect your Wand for safety for the tournament. Can’t help you more than that.”</p>
<p>“On the 21<sup>st</sup>? All right, have to make sure I don’t forget.”</p>
<p>“Even if you do, its not like they can kick you out of the tournament, right?”</p>
<p>A dark shadow passed through Harry’s eyes, as he remembered the words from Crouch.</p>
<p>
  <em>"It- it's a biding magical contract. The boy has to participate, otherwise he'll lose his magic. It’s like an Unbreakable vow, I don't think we have a choice!"</em>
</p>
<p>“Yeah, right. They can’t kick me out, that’s for sure” And both the boys laughed at the joke, just glad to be in each other’s company again.</p>
<p>“Well, I’m going to bed, I’m exhausted” Said Blaise, and as the boys shared a room, he asked “You coming?”</p>
<p>“No,” answered Harry “I have to go back to where I was. I promised my mentor I would be back tonight!”</p>
<p>“Again with that mystery place. And you don’t even tell us where or what it is. You can’t just leave school, you know?</p>
<p>“I’m not leaving school, and I’ll make an effort to be around more. I just need more training for the tournament. People have died there before, that’s why it was cancelled. And, to add up, they are all stronger and better prepared than me, I have to suppress that advantage the best I can. And I’m really making progress right now. Just for the duration of the tournament, I promise you.”</p>
<p>“Well, see if you don’t push yourself to hard. I’d like my best mate in one piece when all of this is over.”</p>
<p>Harry smiled, and with an “I’ll do my best”, made his way out of the Slytherin common room and into the chamber of secrets.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>Daphne woke up the next day feeling anxious. How would she deal with all the embarrassment from what she had done the night before?</p>
<p>She got through her morning affairs with a heavy spirit.</p>
<p>When Tracey was ready as well, they both left for the Great Hall. For breakfast. They had not run into Harry in the common room, so Daphne was shaking with nerves when she arrived in the Great Hall. She took a deep breath when going through the doors, only to find out he wasn’t there either.</p>
<p>They found Blaise eating alone, joining him on the other side of the table.</p>
<p>“Morning” he said in a way of greeting.</p>
<p>“Where’s Harry?” Asked Tracey, knowing that was what her best friend wanted to know.</p>
<p>“He went back to wherever he has been staying. Didn’t even slept in our room. Said he had a lot of training still to do.”</p>
<p>Daphne felt a big relief from that statement. Maybe she could avoid having that conversation for a few more days.</p>
<p>The rest of the day went by with no major incidents, even though she noticed a few stares and some giggles from some of the girls she shared her classes with, mostly Gryffindors, and some in the halls as well. She was grateful for that, as she didn’t feel capable of facing a more intense teasing.</p>
<p>During lunch though she noticed one particular look different from the others.</p>
<p>Fleur Delacour, the Beauxbatons champion, was looking at her, but with a curious look, not making fun of her.</p>
<p>Not giving her too much importance, she went through with her day.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>Harry had spent the rest of the night tell Salazar how things had gone with both Dumbledore and his friends. Salazar was not happy with the developments, telling Harry off for not pursuing the matter more.</p>
<p>“I told you not to confront him that way, but you choose to do it anyway. I warned you, but you didn’t listen. Hope this serves as a lesson to you, that dealing with matter with a hot head usually doesn’t go well. You accomplished very little, and you may have lost a lot of credibility. As you decided to go this route, you should have persisted on it.”</p>
<p>“I know, I was wrong. I’ll try and deal with that the best that I can, wait for another opportunity to present to make a move against Dumbledore.”</p>
<p>“You better. Lay low for now with that subject, we will see how things develop.”</p>
<p>What neither of them knew, was that that opportunity would come way sooner than any of them expected.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>The morning after Harry resumed his training. He had been focusing on transfiguration, honoring his family legacy.</p>
<p>They had discussed a lot what the first task for the tournament might be, with Harry reading that usually it involved facing a magical beast. He remembered reading that one time the champions had to fight a sphinx, one of the most powerful magic creatures there was. The article also reported all the champions dying in that tournament, when the sphinx went rogue and provided the spectators with a blood bath.</p>
<p>So, what ever beast Harry was going to have to face, would have to be something controllable.</p>
<p>They were practicing for that, with a strategy for Harry to transfigure something to distract the beast and give him time to figure out what to do. He hoped he wouldn’t be required to kill it, as that would become complicated, due to magical beast’s resistance to magic. And he couldn’t count on the Sword of Gryffindor again, like he did with the Basilisk.</p>
<p>Finished for the day, once again exhausted, harry decided a good meal provided by the Hogwarts elves would be better than the cold food he had stored, so he decided to take a shower and go to dinner with his classmates.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>When he arrived at the Hogwarts Great hall, Harry located his friends sitting together, so he me his way to them.</p>
<p>“Harry!” claimed Tracey, surprised to him so soon “Glad you decided to join us!”</p>
<p>“Hello to you too Tracey, how did your day go?” he asked with a big smile, noticing that Daphne’s expression had changed and she as looking fiercely at her plate.</p>
<p>“It went well, Defense with Professor Moody is really something. He decided to teach us about the unforgivables today!”</p>
<p>“The unforgivables you say? That’s unusual” Reasoned Harry, “normally we don’t talk about that until the end of the sixth year!”</p>
<p>“I know, he went on and on about how we should be prepared for anything, and constant vigilance and such. Maybe Dumbledore asked him to teach about that, with all that’s been going on!”</p>
<p>“Don’t even say that man’s name in front of me, please” Asked Harry, taking a glance at the teachers table and noticing Dumbledore staring at him, without even trying to hide it.</p>
<p>The rest of the dinner went on, with harry noticing Daphne was completely out of it, focusing on eating, slowly, as if it required all her concentration at once.</p>
<p>When the dinner ended, and they started to make their way back to the common room, harry decided to speak to her.</p>
<p>“Hey Daphne, do you mind if we speak for a few minutes? Alone, please?”</p>
<p>Daphne was visibly nervous, but agreed “Sure, if you would like that”</p>
<p>Harry made her a sign of ‘follow me’ and entered an empty classroom.</p>
<p>“So, want to tell me what happened yesterday?” He asked, trying to be as friendly as possible, seeing the nervousness on the girl and didn’t wanting to make her even more uncomfortable.</p>
<p>“I- I- I don’t know,” she stuttered “I was happy to see you and mad at Dumbledore for what he’d done. When I noticed I was already hugging you… I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have lost control like that!” She begged, with tears almost in her eyes.</p>
<p>“It’s okay, don’t worry about it. I’m not mad or anything. You said you were happy to see me?” he asked, now he was starting to get nervous as well. <em>‘am I flirting with her?’</em> he asked himself.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I mean, you were gone for quite some time, and I was feeling a lot of regret for not sticking by you with all the situation, I don’t know…”</p>
<p>Harry looked at Daphne, and it was like he was really seeing her for the first time. The brown hair with the blue eyes made a beautiful combination, whit her face not lacking in comparison. She was really a beauty. And with her eyes all swollen from the almost tears almost coming out of his eyes, she looked so fragile that Harry felt an immediate need to embrace and protect her. Mustering up all the courage he could find, he decided to ask.</p>
<p>“Daphne, would you like to go out on a date with me?”</p>
<p>The effect was immediate. Her face light up for a second, and Harry was filled with a feeling of accomplishment and happiness. Then, one second after, she started crying.</p>
<p>“I- I can’t, I’m so sorry” She sobbed.</p>
<p>With is heart sinking and feeling like he had been punched in the stomach, Harry said “Oh, okay. I’m sorry I asked. I’m gonna go now”</p>
<p>“Wait!” She said, grabbing one of his arms. “Please, let me explain.”</p>
<p>“Explain what?” He asked, feeling the need to get out of there after her rejection.</p>
<p>“Look, my father as made some things in the past neither me nor my sister agree with, but his beliefs still stand to this day. He fought on the wrong side of the war and now seeing his older daughter, his heir, dating the Boy-Who-Lived? He wouldn’t be happy with that, at all.”</p>
<p>Harry was now tense. <em>Her father was a death eater? </em>He thought. He knew some of his classmates parents had followed Voldemort, but that had never interfered with his life in a serious manner. “I- I didn’t know, I’m sorry” he said.</p>
<p>“Occasional friends are one thing, we are on the same house, so it isn’t that bad, but if we were seen on a date… I don’t know what would happen!”</p>
<p>And then an idea crossed Harry’ mind. It was a long shot, but he felt the need to try?</p>
<p>“What if we went on the date in a place where no one can see us? Would you say yes then?”</p>
<p>“Where would you find that place?” she asked, skeptical.                                                                  </p>
<p>“Don’t worry, leave that to me” assured Harry, the happiness coming back up.</p>
<p>“Well, if you could really find a place like that, I suppose I can say yes!”</p>
<p>“Great, it’s a deal then “he said, ecstatic. Leaping forward, this time it was Harry giving her an awkward hug. “I’ll speak with you soon, when I figured were it will be!” He needed to speak with Salazar first.</p>
<p>She smiled and replied</p>
<p>“Can’t wait”</p>
<p>And with that, each made their way to their respective rooms, Daphne with the rest of the Slytherins and Harry to the chamber of secrets.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>
  <strong>AN: And this concludes the seventh installment of this work. This chapter is a little bit bigger (hope you guys enjoy that, a lot of you asked for it) as I wanted to include this scene with Harry and Daphne, to start putting things in motion.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>I got a few comments of people not happy with how the discussion between Harry &amp; Dumbledore had played. I want to remember you guys that Harry is fourteen. I don’t know about you, but when I was fourteen, I was a child. So, I think it’s normal he couldn’t stand against Dumbledore who has like a century of experience in politics. Don’t you worry though, the situation won’t end here.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Thank you all for the support, this fic has passed 5k views in both platforms, which is something I never really expected. Oh, and more than 200 followers on facficdotnet alone, which is incredible. Its really been beyond my wildest dreams.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>See you next time (hopefully tomorrow)</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Daphne Greengrass woke up with a smile on her face.</p>
<p>Harry had actually invited her for a date! It wasn’t going to be in public, and she didn’t know when it would happen, but he had invited her. That meant he was at least a big interested, right?</p>
<p>She looked herself in the mirror while brushing her hair and a tough occurred to her.</p>
<p>
  <em>‘Since when am I interested in him? When did that happened?’</em>
</p>
<p>Harry had changed during those two weeks, and for the better, that’s for sure. But when did the interest happen?</p>
<p>“Why do you have a goofy smile on your face?” Asked Astoria, who had entered the room to ask Daphne if she could borrow a bracelet, she thought would look good with the necklace she was wearing today.</p>
<p>“Well, apparently Mister Potter decided to invite your sister to a secret date” Answered Tracey, before Daphne got a chance to say something.</p>
<p>“Ohh is that so?” Asked her sister, always interested in juicy gossip. “When did that happen?”</p>
<p>“Last night, after dinner” answered Daphne, trying to put down the happy look that insisted to remain on her face.</p>
<p>“Uhh and were will you two go? Hogsmeade?”</p>
<p>“Tori, you know dad would never approve of this. Harry promise to take me somewhere we would not be seen by anyone. He didn’t say where though.”</p>
<p>“Unknown… exciting!” tease her sister “Well Daph, wish you the best of luck with your prince charming! Can I borrow this bracelet, by the way?”</p>
<p>“He’s not my prince charming, okay? Please stop that! And you can only take it if you promise to stop teasing me about Harry!”</p>
<p>Astoria pretended she was considering the deal.</p>
<p>“You know what? I think I’m good” She said “Teasing you is too much fun to trade for a bracelet.”</p>
<p>“For some reason that doesn’t surprise me” intervened Tracey “teasing your sister is the thing you loved the most in the world after all!”</p>
<p>“That’s true” said Astoria, faking a sad look “what a dreadful existence, always making fun of Daph!”</p>
<p>“At least, please, don’t do it in public, okay? I can’t risk this getting to father’s ears.”</p>
<p>“Of course not, sis! I’d never do that to you, right Tracey?”</p>
<p>“I wouldn’t trust for that, but let’s hope, for the sake of Daphne, that that’s true.”</p>
<p>They finished their morning duties and together went for breakfast.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>Harry Potter woke up with a smile on his face.</p>
<p>He had actually invited her, and she said yes! Daphne was one of the most gorgeous girls in Hogwarts, even though it took quite a while for him to notice, and she had agreed to go on a date with him.  </p>
<p>As he got up and started getting ready for the day, he heard Salazar’s voice.</p>
<p>“So, that girl really got you good, did she?”</p>
<p>“What do you mean, got me good?” he asked.</p>
<p>“Well, you were way over excited last night when you came in, asking all those questions about Rowena’s room, how it worked and all that, and now your standing there looking like a happy idiot. I assume that’s because of the girl, right?”</p>
<p>“Well, yeah. She agreed to go on date with, but due to her father’s politics we can’t be seen together as more than friends. And I though that the room you always talked about would be the perfect set up. After all, if it can turn into anything we desire, I can turn it into the perfect dating place, right?”</p>
<p>“In theory yes. But don’t forget I’ve never really found the room, even though Rowena confirmed its existence before she passed. I’ve narrowed the location to the seventh floor, but its still a big place to search. And if I, the Great Salazar Slytherin was unable to find it, I doubt you will.”</p>
<p>Deciding to play along, harry responded “Well maybe I, the Great Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, slayer of basilisks and favorite descendant of the Great Salazar Slytherin will be able to finish the quest left by my ancestor.”</p>
<p>“That’s a big tittle for a fourteen-year-old” Said Salazar, skeptical “But I’ll wait to see the results of your adventure. Don’t get your hopes up, Rowena was a great sorcerer, she hid the entrance very well.”</p>
<p>“I’ll try my best. Now, you said we would be able to do the first ritual tomorrow. That leaves me three days to recover until the first task. Are you sure it is a good idea to do it on such a close timeline?”</p>
<p>“I do, this ritual is way less demanding because it will have little impact on you at the present time. This is one for the future and will be most noticeable when you reach your majority. What this will do is increase the magical receptors in your body, allowing you to slowly absorb more and more magic from the environment, which in practice will increase your magical power by a lot. I remember Tom doing this ritual as well, he was fully recovered in less than a day.”</p>
<p>“So, that’s how he got so powerful? It thought it was natural.”</p>
<p>“Tom was powerful in his own right, I’m not denying that. But no human could ever become as powerful as he became without some ritual involved. You probably won’t notice for now, but this really increases your magical capabilities. You’ll be capable of way more than you would be without it. And the sooner you perform it, the more magic you’ll be able to absorb before your magical power is set in stone, which happens at the moment your turn seventeen and reach your majority.”</p>
<p>“Very well, I’ll trust you. Let’s do it tomorrow after the Ceremony, I’ll finish the preparations after my morning routine.”</p>
<p> A routine that included a morning workout, followed by a few warming up and accuracy sharpening spells, and then a big breakfast from the food he had in storage.  </p>
<p>“Enjoy” was the response he got.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>Fleur was getting anxious again. The Wand Weighing Ceremony was already in the next day, where she would be able to finally confront the guy who had been plaguing her dreams, night after night. She admonished herself, saying repeatedly that she was creating too much expectations about him, and that we would succumb to her allure eventually, but the perspective of a male who could resist her was too appealing.</p>
<p>She arrived at the Great Hall for breakfast, immediately looking for Luna.</p>
<p>They had become friends really fast, being both lonely beings, with Fleur looking at Luna as a sort of replacement for her little sister Gabrielle, and Luna just happy to have a friend. They had eaten all their meals together for the last few days, and with Fleur noticing that she was now wearing shoes. The morning after they had met, Fleur sat besides the smaller girl,, looking threatening at anyone who would even look at their general direction, and even going as far as bewitching, with prank charms, the people she heard calling her Loony.</p>
<p>She hoped this break for the girl would prolong for a long time, as no one deserved to be a victim of bullying.</p>
<p>“So, how was your morning, Luna?” she asked.</p>
<p>“It was all right, I guess. I have my shoes today, which is a good thing. I don’t know why though, must be the Nargles around Ravenclaw Tower, they make people forget things, and we have been having a lot of them. Maybe people forgot about my shoes, which is good, right?”</p>
<p>Fleur looked at her, her eyes mixed with sadness and rage. Luna was different, always talking about this made up creatures. Fleur quickly realized she made them up to justify the bad that happened in the world. How Nargles made people forget things, or how Heliopaths made people angry. They were defense mechanisms, probably caused by years of torment, or one big trauma that happened in her past. Fleur hadn’t found what cause it, but she had a big wish of helping the poor girl. Cast out by everyone, the similarities with her own situation were too much to ignore.</p>
<p>Finishing her Breakfast, she got up, wished Luna a good day of classes, and made her way to the Beauxbatons carriages, where she had her special classes with Madam in preparation for the tournament, and after that she had to get ready for the Wand Weighing Ceremony.</p>
<p>She knocked on Madam Maxime’s door, but instead of hearing the usual “come in”, the headmistress opened the door, gave her a package and said.</p>
<p>“Fleur, my dear. What you have in your hands is my invisibility cloak. The groundskeeper, Hagrid, invited me on a walk. He said he had something to show me regarding the first task. What I want you to do, is follow me with the cloak on. Knowing what the task will be a few days ahead is not a bad idea.”</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>Harry decided to arrive early to the Wand Weighing Ceremony. It was better to be early than to lose something important after all.</p>
<p>As he arrived, Cedric was still the only one there, the other champions hadn’t arrived yet, as well as the five judges. Cedric was speaking in is usual amicable tone with a blonde reporter, who was accompanied by one camera man.</p>
<p>Cedric was the first to notice Harry’s presence, waving at him.</p>
<p>The moment the reporter turned around, a look of greed came upon her face.</p>
<p>“Harry Potter!” She exclaimed. “Welcome, welcome. What would you say about a little interview? An exclusive with our younger champions, I’m sure the people of Britain would love to read that.”</p>
<p>“Excuse me, do I know you?” asked Harry, trying to be as polite and neutral as possible.</p>
<p>“I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure to be introduced yet, Harry. My name is Rita Skeeter, the star reporter for Britain’s biggest journal. The Daily Prophet.”</p>
<p>“Skeeter, that name sounds familiar.”</p>
<p>“Well, I’ve written a lot about your disappearance recently, maybe that’s it?” She asked, eager to bond with the Boy-Who-Lived.</p>
<p>“Yes, of course! You were the one asking all those uncomfortable questions about Dumbledore. Sure, I can give you a small interview.” And then Harry got an idea “But, if you don’t mind, I’d like it to be in a private place. What do you say, after dinner is over tonight, you meet me near the Black Lake, and we’ll talk then? Good for you?”</p>
<p>“Amazing. Now, what do you boys say about a few pictures of the two Hogwarts champions together?”</p>
<p>“I’m not really a Hogwarts champions” Harry quickly pointed out “Cedric is the only champion for the school. I’m just riding alone, against my will.”</p>
<p>“Of course, “corrected Rita “Still, a few photos of both of you together would be great! You can even make first page!”</p>
<p>The boys looked at each other, Cedric shrugged, so they proceeded with the photoshoot.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>Finally, they were all there. The champions, the judges, the press, and Mister Ollivander, that Harry recognized from his first trip to Diagon Alley.</p>
<p>"May I introduce Mr. Ollivander?" said Dumbledore, taking his place at the judges' table and talking to the champions. "He will be checking your wands to ensure that they are in good condition before the tournament."</p>
<p>"Mademoiselle Delacour, could we have you first, please?" said Mr. Ollivander, stepping into the empty space in the middle of the room.</p>
<p>Fleur Delacour swept over to Mr. Ollivander and handed him her wand.</p>
<p>"Hmm..." he said.</p>
<p>He twirled the wand between his long fingers like a baton and held the wand chose to his eyes and examined it carefully.</p>
<p>"Yes," he said quietly, "nine and a half inches...inflexible...rosewood...and containing...dear me..."</p>
<p>"An hair from a Veela" said Fleur. "One of my grandmother’s"</p>
<p>"Yes," said Mr. Ollivander, "yes, I've never used veela hair myself, of course. I find it makes for rather temperamental wands...however, to each his own, and if this suits you..."</p>
<p>Mr. Ollivander ran his fingers along the wand, apparently checking for scratches or bumps; then he muttered, "<em>Orchideous</em>!" and a bunch of flowers burst from the wand tip.</p>
<p>"Very well, very well, it's in fine working order," said Mr. Ollivander, scooping up the flowers and handing them to a very uncomfortable looking Fleur, along with her wand. "Mr. Diggory, you next."</p>
<p>Fleur glided back to her seat, smiling at Cedric as he passed her.</p>
<p>"Ah, now, this is one of mine, isn't it?" said Mr. Ollivander, with much more enthusiasm, as Cedric handed over his wand. "Yes, I remember it well. Containing a single hair from the tail of a particularly fine male unicorn... nearly gored me with his horn after I plucked his tail. Twelve and a quarter inches.... It's in fine condition...You treat it regularly?"</p>
<p>"Polished it last night," said Cedric, grinning.</p>
<p>Mr. Ollivander sent a stream of silver smoke rings across the room from the tip of Cedric's wand, pronounced himself satisfied, and then said, "Mr. Krum, if you please."</p>
<p>Viktor Krum got up and slouched, round-shouldered and duck-footed, toward Mr. Ollivander. He thrust out his wand and stood scowling, with his hands in the pockets of his robes.</p>
<p>"Hmm," said Mr. Ollivander, "this is a Gregorovitch creation, unless I'm much mistaken? A fine wand-maker, though the styling is never quite what I... however..."</p>
<p>He lifted the wand and examined it minutely, turning it over and over before his eyes.</p>
<p>"Yes...hornbeam and dragon heartstring?" he shot at Krum, who nodded. "Rather thicker than one usually sees...quite rigid...ten and a quarter inches... <em>Avis</em>!"</p>
<p>The hornbeam wand let off a blast hike a gun, and a number of small, twittering birds flew out of the end and through the open window into the watery sunlight.</p>
<p>"Good," said Mr. Ollivander, handing Krum back his wand. "Which leaves...Mr. Potter."</p>
<p>Harry got to his feet and walked past Krum to Mr. Ollivander. He handed over his wand.</p>
<p>"Aaaah, yes," said Mr. Ollivander, his pale eyes suddenly gleaming. "Yes, yes, yes. How well I remember this one. Eleven inches, holly, and a feather from a very particular Fenix, yes. A much unusual combination of wood and core"</p>
<p>Harry was nervous. Was the old man going to talk about the similarities with Voldemort’s wand in front of everyone?</p>
<p>Ollivander spend a long time carefully examining Harry’s wand. Almost ten minutes later he sent a jet of wine to the floor, declaring it to be in perfect condition for the tournament.</p>
<p>“Well, it seams we all set. You can now return to your classes, or maybe its better if you go directly out to dinner, as they are about to end. Miss Skeeter, Mister Ollivander, you are of course welcome to join us for dinner. I’m sure you miss Hogwarts food from your days as students.”</p>
<p>Rita, remembering her appointment with Harry, gladly took the invitation, while Ollivander made his excuses and left.</p>
<p>Harry was about to leave when he was cornered by an expectant Fleur Delacour.</p>
<p>“Harry, hi, how are you?” She asked.</p>
<p>“Fleur?” He asked confused “What do you want from me?”</p>
<p>“Well, we will be competing through the entire year, why not get to know the competition a little bit?” She asked, smiling.</p>
<p>“Sure, we can hang out some that, if you really want that.” He was nervous. The last he had spoken to her, he had anger filling his entire mind, but now he was calmer, he could feel a very intense need to please her, offering her everything he could. Suppressing those feeling, he looked around. The reporter, who had stayed behind to pack up his gear, was franticly taking pictures of Fleur, while Krum was looking at Fleur with a very unpleasant look on his face.</p>
<p>“Glad you agree. Why don’t you invite me to dinner tonight? I can seat at the Slytherin table for all I know.”</p>
<p>“ahh sure,” he said, “want to have dinner at our table tonight Fleur?”</p>
<p>“I’d love to” she replied, beaming “I’ll meet you there soon.”</p>
<p>And with that, she turned around and left him standing there, not knowing how he had gotten himself into that situation.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>Fleur’s mood was above the clouds! He had actually resisted her completely during their interaction, even if a brief one. But at dinner she would have an opportunity to test him for a longer time. She would have to restrict her allure, otherwise every male on the Hall would be drooling, but with them so close for such a long time, it would be a good enough test for her.</p>
<p>She arrived at the Beauxbatons carriages to freshen up for dinner, and then made her way into the Great Hall.</p>
<p>When she arrived at the main gates, she found Luna on her way to the Hall as well.</p>
<p>“Luna, hey!” she called “I’m going to have dinner at Slytherin table tonight, would you like to come?”</p>
<p>Luna looked a bit scared of the idea “With the Slytherins, why?”</p>
<p>“Harry Potter invited me, so we can know each other better as champions! It will be fun, I promise.”</p>
<p>Not happy with the prospect, but wanting to please her still recent friend, Luna agreed.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>Harry sat with Blaise at the Slytherin table.</p>
<p>“So, you invited Fleur Delacour to dinner with us?”</p>
<p>“Well, she kind of forced my hand, but yes. I did.”</p>
<p>“Man, first Daphne and now her? You really need to slow down. And have you thought about what Daphne is going to say about you inviting the hottest women in the school to dinner?”</p>
<p>Harry, obviously, hadn’t thought of that. ‘<em>Shit</em>’</p>
<p>“Well, I can’t really cancel it now! I’m so screwed”</p>
<p>“It’s your funeral, brother” laughed Blaise, finding very funny the idea of his best mate stuck between the two girls.</p>
<p>At that moment, Fleur arrived, bringing a small little blond girl with her.</p>
<p>“Harry, hi again! This is Luna, I’ve invited her to join us for dinner. She’s kind of lonely with the Ravenclaws, you know.”</p>
<p>“Of course,” replied Harry, now feeling very anxious for Daphne’s reaction when she arrived. “This is Blaise Zabini, a friend of mine. Hello Luna, how are you?”</p>
<p>The girl was looking very anxious, looking around every couple of seconds, like she expected some kind of threat on her way, but replied “Hello Harry, Hi Blaise. I’m well, thank you.”</p>
<p>The girls sat in front of Harry and Blaise, with Fleur making obvious her intentions to sit in front of Harry.</p>
<p>“So, what did you thought of Mister Ollivander, kind of creepy, am I right?”</p>
<p>“Definitely” agreed Blaise, who was looking at Fleur with an adoring expression.</p>
<p>Seeing that, Fleur huffed and focused completely on Harry.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>“So, Harry,” she asked “How are your preparations for the tournament? We all heard about all that special training you were performing, how is that going?”</p>
<p>“All right, I guess. I had to make-up for all the disadvantage I had against you guys!”</p>
<p>“So, you don’t think the tournament is stupid anymore? Trying to compete for real?”</p>
<p>“No, I still think its stupid. And I’m not trying to compete, I’m trying to survive. Whoever put my name in the Goblet, wants me dead, I’m sure.”</p>
<p>She thought about that for a couple of seconds. He was being honest about only wanting to survive. Not wanting to see him get hurt, as he was one of the few who could speak with her in a normal manner, she made a decision.</p>
<p>“So, I’m going to tell you something, but you have to promise me you won’t tell anyone you heard it from me.”</p>
<p>“Sure, what is it?” he asked, curious about her secret.</p>
<p>“I’ve heard around, the first task will be dragons.”</p>
<p>Upon hearing that, Harry immediately went pale. “Dr- dragons, you say? I’m going to have to kill a dragon?”</p>
<p>“I don’t know about killing, but we’ll have to face one, that’s for sure”.</p>
<p>Harry wasn’t looking all that well now. All his previous concerns now looking small, with the perspective of a dragon upon him.</p>
<p><em>‘That’s going to be a very painful death’</em> he thought.</p>
<p>“Well, thank you for telling me, Fleur. You may have just saved my life.”</p>
<p>“Of course,” she replied, “we may be adversaries, but I don’t think anyone wants a death in the tournament. And you were put here against your will, and at such a disadvantage…”</p>
<p>Harry was not liking the condescending tone in her voice but was too grateful for the warning to even say something.</p>
<p>“WHAT IS LOONEY LOVEGOOD AND THAT FILTHY HALF CREATURE DOING IN OUR TABLE?”</p>
<p>Fleur looked around, and saw the origin of that scream, a blond and arrogant looking boy, around Harry’s age, surrounded by two bigger fat boys, looking like they were his bodyguards.</p>
<p>“WHA. DID. YOU. SAY?” she asked, trembling with fury. “What. Did. You. Just. Call. Me?”<br/>Before the boy even had a chance to reply, Fleur had her wand in her wand, and with a flick of her wrist, the blond arrogant went flying across the Hall, only stopping when he crashed against one of the walls.</p>
<p>Still furious, Fleur turned to Luna and said “Let’s go Luna, I think the giant squid could use some bread right now. Sorry Harry, a raincheck on the dinner?”</p>
<p> “Sure” he said, seeing that the smaller girl was filled with tears, and not knowing how to deal with all that.</p>
<p>As he saw them leaving the Hall, and noticing Professor Snape getting up to assist Malfoy, his head was still stuck on the dragons.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>
  <strong>AN: We finally got thru with the WWC and harry &amp; Fleur’s first real interaction. Too bad it ended in such a poor way. Let’s hope at least Harry’s interview with Rita goes well, am I right?</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>A few of you have said a word about my grammar and English mistakes in the story. I perfectly understand what you’re saying, and trust me, I do by best. I reread the chapter two or three times before posting, but with English as my second language, some parts will not go perfectly. Until I find a Beta for this story, its just me. If anyone wants to volunteer for that, I’m all ears. I’ll do my best, and probably in a few days will go back and correct all the mistakes I can find.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>As always, thanks for the reviews and follows. Feedback is very important. Keep them coming.</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The night had fallen when Harry Potter walked around the Black Lake to give his first real interview.</p>
<p>He thought about how dumb he had been. The Lake was huge, all he had said was “near the Black Lake”. With the tip of his wand lighted, he kept walking, looking for that reporter.</p>
<p>“Harry, dear, is that you?” Asked Skeeter, not very happy to be out there at those hours.</p>
<p>“Rita, hello there. Sorry about the time and the place, but trust me, I can make it all worth your while” Harry had thought a while about what to do with her. The opportunities were endless.</p>
<p>“I’m sure you will” she replied, a greedy smile on her face. She set up her quick notes quill and started: “So, Harry… what made you decide to enter the Triwizard Tournament?”</p>
<p>“Wait, you think I did it?”</p>
<p>“It doesn’t matter what I think dear” she replied, “It matters what the readers want to read.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, this is not going to work like that Rita. I’ll tell you what we are going to do: I’ll give you hints, point you at things to investigate, sometimes even give you the full story, but you have to promise you’ll never go against me, write something about me that I haven’t approved. I can provide a lot of good stories, but I want you on my side.”</p>
<p>“Sure, I can do that” She was quick to reply, probably thinking she could turn her back on him if she needed to.</p>
<p>“Rita, I don’t think you’re understanding what I’m asking. I’m the Boy-Who-Lived, there’s a target on my back since the day I was born. I can’t risk trusting people without absolute confidence they will stand by me. If you want to do this… I want an unbreakable vow.”</p>
<p>“Uh- un unbreakable vow? Those are very rare, very dangerous. You know you die if you break it, right?</p>
<p>“That’s exactly the point. And you technically don’t die, you just lose your magic. Small children can survive it, even though adults rarely can. Those are my conditions, take it or leave it. I just can’t take any risks.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry Harry, but what you’re asking is too much for me.”</p>
<p>“Well, how disappointing. I really thought I could count on your help. I could give you Dumbledore, you know? Maybe, together we could even get Minister Fudge. Too bad you are too much of a coward Rita. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised after all. Sorry to waste your time, have a good night.”</p>
<p>Harry knew exactly what he was doing. Greedy people were easily manipulated. He’d been doing it to his cousin Dudley since he was a small child, so teasing her with what they could accomplish together and insulting her courage a little should do the trick. No one liked being called a coward after all.</p>
<p>Turning away, he was still able to manage a few steps when he heard Rita calling.</p>
<p>“Harry, wait! I’ll do it. But I want the information on Dumbledore first. I’ll have to check for myself if it’s enough or not. We can see what to do from there.” She tried.</p>
<p>“No Rita, you don’t get to dictate the terms of the agreement. It’s all or nothing.”</p>
<p>“Fine, what would the terms of the vow be?” the temptation of taking down one of the most powerful wizards alive was just too good to resist.</p>
<p>“Great. Now, first of all, you’re going to swear to never go against me magically or physically. Then, you’ll never write anything that would make me look bad, even if only a little, unless you have my explicit permission. You will not write about my family or my closest friends either. Then, you will swear to never write lies about the information I tell you. Its going to be all truthful, you won’t even need to make things up.”</p>
<p>“Are we clear?”</p>
<p>“Those are pretty big terms. I’ll accept it with one condition. You’ll have to swear as well, that you’ll never act against my physical well-being or my reputation in public, is that acceptable?”</p>
<p>“Of course, Rita. Why would I ever want to harm you?” He asked, a cynical smile briefly crossing his face.</p>
<p>The exact wording of the vow was debated a little between the two and the vow was made.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>“So, now that we have that out the way” he said, moments after they concluded the vow, “What do you want to know?”</p>
<p>“Well, you promised you could bring Dumbledore down, prove it!” she responded, still a bit shaken from having to make a vow that could cost her her life.</p>
<p>“All right then, so much to say, where do I begin?” he wondered “Why not from the beginning? As you know, Voldemort killed my parents when I was a baby. Dumbledore apparently became my magical guardian at that moment, even though my parents wanted me to stay with their longtime friend, Sirius Black.”</p>
<p>“Wait” interrupted Rita, “didn’t Sirius Black deliver your parents to You-Know-Who? Wasn’t he a death eater?”</p>
<p>“Oh dear Rita, there’s so much you don’t know. Sirius Black, along with being my father’s best friend, was also my Godfather. He was supposed to be the one to take care of me if something happened to my parents, and as everyone knows, they died. Sirius was put in Azkaban without a trial, and the evidence was circumstantial at best. He was innocent, and his imprisonment was one of the great injustices that happened after the war ended.”</p>
<p>“Do you have proof about those claims? Were you in contact with him?” she asked, eager to know more.</p>
<p>“I can get in touch if I want to, yes.” actually, now that he thought about it, Sirius was due a letter from him “But the only evidence of Sirius innocence is Peter Pettigrew, he was the real death eater. The one who got my parents killed.”</p>
<p>“Peter is dead, Sirius Black killed him!”</p>
<p>“No, Peter is alive, I’ve seen it myself, only a few months back. But we are getting far from the point Rita.”</p>
<p>“Yes, right, Dumbledore.”</p>
<p>“Don’t forget, you can’t publish anything on Sirius or Pettigrew without my permission. Don’t you worry though, I’m starting to put things in motion to have Sirius released, and you can have the exclusive later.”</p>
<p>“I know, I know” The Vow was still fresh in her mind. “Now, continue with Dumbledore.”</p>
<p>“So, Dumbledore, in some weird way, probably illegal, got my magical guardianship. And he decided to put me with my mother’s sister, her husband and son. They are all Muggles, and with an extreme hatred for everything magical. They told me my parents died in a car crash, and that they were drunks. They made me a slave, I had to cook, clean, do all the chores for them. Sometimes they didn’t feed me enough. Or feed me at all, if something weird had happened, like a burst of accidental magic. They had me living in a cupboard under the stairs. They- they-…”</p>
<p>At this point Harry had to stop to control his anger. Taking the break, Rita used it to apply warming charms on herself and Harry, as it was freezing, and she had a very uncomfortable look on her face.</p>
<p>“They beat me.” he continued “They beat me a lot. If I did anything wrong, my uncle would slap, kick and once or twice he even burned me. If I wasn’t magical, I doubt I would have survived. My magic kept healing me, so they were able to avoid taking me to a hospital, if they would even consider it. I lived through more hardship than most of the wizards in Britain can even dream of. And you know the worst? Dumbledore knew. He had to know, I was there for ten years. And he knew exactly where to find me. If he didn’t know, it’s because he didn’t even care to check up on me for an entire decade, and to be honest, I don’t even know what’s worse.</p>
<p>Rita had a shocked look on her face. She wasn’t famous for her empathy, but even she couldn’t help but feel bad for the poor boy in front of her.</p>
<p>“That’s- That’s horrible” she ended up saying “Why would he do it? How do we prove it?”</p>
<p>“I have a lot of theories, some more unlikely than others. The proving part of the job falls to you, Rita. You’re the reporter, you need to do the investigation. I know my word carries weight, but Dumbledore’s carries way more. If it’s just me against him, he will win. But if you could come up with evidence of that… May I suggest you start with my uncle and aunt? Check for memory alterations, imperius curses, stuff like that. Maybe you can come up with something. Then we can see how we go from there.”</p>
<p>“Sure, I can do that. Thanks for sharing this with me, I know it certainly wasn’t easy.”</p>
<p>“Oh, do you think I’m finished? No dear Rita, I have more. Much more.”</p>
<p>Her eyes light up with the perspective, but at the same time she was afraid of what more could come after that.</p>
<p>“Then, it was my first year. Dumbledore decided, for some reason, to hide the only known Philosopher’s stone in a castle full of young children. At the same time, he hired Quirrell, he was the defense teacher who also lived with Voldemort on the back of his head.”</p>
<p>“He what? You’re saying You-Know-Who is back?” she interrupted once again.</p>
<p>“Calm down Rita. And please, You-Know-Who? Are you that scared of a name? Anyway, he never left, he is some sort of spirit or something, and was possessing Quirrell. Dumbledore hired him anyway, even though I recognize he probably didn’t know about that part. Me and two friends, who shall remain nameless, learned about the stone during our first year here, where it was located and all. And in the end of the year, we leaned about a probable attempt to steal the stone. We tried to warn Dumbledore, but he had left the school and Professor McGonagall, the Deputy Headmistress, ignored us.”</p>
<p>“your saying V- You-Know-Who has the stone?” She asked, completely incredulous of what she was hearing.</p>
<p>“No, we, three eleven years old, when after the stone. We managed to stop Quirrell from taking the stone, and he eventually ended up dead. Dumbledore arrived right after everything was done, almost like he knew.”</p>
<p>“You killed a dark wizard at eleven?” She asked, this time not even managing to keep her mouth from being wide open.</p>
<p>“I did, but I’d rather that part to stay off the record. I don’t want to be seen as a killer by the public, even if he was a dark wizard.”</p>
<p>“That’s… that’s a lot of stuff, no doubt. Dumbledore can even end up in Azkaban if we can prove he knew about the violence.”</p>
<p>“That what I’m counting on you to resolve, Rita.”</p>
<p>“Is there anything else?”</p>
<p>“Yes, but that is going to have to stay for another meeting. Is getting very late and I still have a lot to do tonight. Focus on that for now, write your articles and investigate, but don’t publish anything without running it by me first, understood? Remember the Vow!”</p>
<p>“Yes Harry, don’t worry. We are friends after all, right?”</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>Harry was coming back from his meeting with Rita when he heard two different laughs, both feminine. He was still by the lake, so he decided to see what was happening.</p>
<p>A few yards ahead, he found Fleur and Luna sitting by the shore of the Lake, with what looked like a conjured flame coming from Fleur’s wand keeping them warm.</p>
<p>Still feeling bad about what Malfoy had done, he decided to approach them and sit besides Luna.</p>
<p>“Hi, what are you girls doing here? Look, I wanted to apologize for what Malfoy did back at dinner. He’s an idiot, but we have to put up with him because he was put in our house. He doesn’t represent or speak for us all, please believe that.”</p>
<p>Harry expected Fleur to answer, so he was surprised when it was Luna who turned to him, smiled and said “I know it wasn’t your fault. After all there were no Gulping Plimpy’s on your head. Malfoy’s on the other hand was swarming with them.”</p>
<p>”Gulping Plimpy?” He asked, confused “What are those?”</p>
<p>Fleur was looking at him weirdly, but Luna responded.</p>
<p>“They are very small, almost invisible little demons that get into your head and make you want to hurt others. They appear a lot in Hogwarts and start a lot of the fights between the students.”</p>
<p>Never having heard of such thing but having little faith in his own knowledge of magical creatures, Harry didn’t push it “Well, let’s hope we manage to stay away from those Gilping Plimpy’s” he joked, Fleur was now smiling at him, enjoying seeing him being so kind to the girl.</p>
<p>“We don’t have any more bread to throw to the giant squid” Fleur informed him “otherwise we would invite you to feed her with us.”</p>
<p>“It’s okay, I have to be on my way anyway, I still have a lot to do tonight. Goodnight Luna, goodnight Fleur.”</p>
<p> With both girls saying their goodnights to him, he got up and left.</p>
<p>“Harry, wait a second!”</p>
<p>Fleur had gotten up as well and was running after him.</p>
<p>“Yes?” he asked</p>
<p>She got closer and hugged him, also giving him a kiss on the cheek.</p>
<p>“Thank you for being so kind to Luna.” She said, turning around and going back to the smaller girl.</p>
<p>Harry stayed there for a few minutes, blushing madly, with a very warm feeling radiating from the place she had kissed him.</p>
<p>Shaking a few inappropriate thoughts out of his mind, he made his way to the chamber of secrets. He still had a ritual to perform.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>Harry finished telling his plan with Rita to Salazar. The founder sounded impressed.</p>
<p>“That reporter can be of much importance to our plans” he agreed “and making her perform an unbreakable vow was a very Slytherin idea of you. I’m proud.”</p>
<p>A feeling of joy overwhelmed Harry, his subconscious need for approval kicking in.</p>
<p>“That’s the first time you have ever said you were proud of me!” he told Salazar.</p>
<p>“Was it? Oh well, if you’re going to be all soapy about it, I have to remember not to do it again”</p>
<p>“Pleasant as always” noted Harry. “Everything is ready for the ritual, you absolutely sure it’s a good idea to do this so close to the task?”</p>
<p>“Don’t you trust me, child?” was the reply.</p>
<p>Not bothering to respond, Harry cut himself and started to spread the blood around the Gaelic symbols.</p>
<p>As soon as he finished, he stood in the center, but before saying the magic that would start the ritual, he remembered .</p>
<p>“Salazar, have you ever heard of Gilping Plimpys?”</p>
<p>“No, I can’t say that I have. What are those supposed to be?”</p>
<p>“Nevermind” he replied “Just something I heard today.”</p>
<p>Focusing and reaching for his magic, he focused his intent and chanted.</p>
<p>“MAE'R BYD O'M CWMPAS YN LLAWN HUD A LLEDRITH. GADEWCH IDDI SIARAD Â MI A'M LLENWI.”</p>
<p>And everything went dark.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>
  <strong>AN: Chapter 9 is finished now, the magical number 10 coming out next.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Just want to clarify a few things. Domestic abuse is a very serious issue, one I don’t want to go too deep in a fanfiction. But, with the physical violence so implied in J.K.’s books, I decided to put it in this story.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Also, I know Rita is usually portraited as a bad, mean women. But I see her more as just a very greedy human who wants to be recognized most than anything. So I’ve decided to do something a bit different with her. </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>F13rc3D3ity: Harry had 3 weeks of training with Salazar, the others have 3 years of advantage in magical education. Still a bit of an edge, I’d say. Oh, and who ever said Salazar was a portrait?</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>PacMan99: thank you for the feedback. I’ll try to keep updating quite regularly, but this rhythm of posting everyday won’t be eternal. I spend around 6h with each chapter, and I have other commitments in my life. I’ll eventually try to establish a schedule of like an update each two or three days.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>I also have the pleasure to announce that noam62004 has agreed to Beta for me in this story, with this chapter already benefitting from his work. If you notice an decrease in grammar mistakes, you have him to thank for.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Thanks for the follows, reviews and Kudos. The dimension this story is taking is really overwhelming me. Thank you all. </strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Harry was ready for the pain to come, but it never did.</p>
<p>He was feeling hot, very hot, like he had been standing under the torching sun for hours on end, but he still found it way better than his previous experience with a ritual.</p>
<p>He woke up a few hours later, and even though he was feeling way better than he’d felt after the previous one, he was still sore and a little dizzy.</p>
<p>“Welcome back, child. I assume everything went well?”, he asked.</p>
<p>“How would I know?”, retorted Harry sarcastically. “It’s not like I’m very experienced with rituals, and this one doesn’t have a visible change I can see for myself.”</p>
<p>“You really should not speak in such a way to your elders, child. I can see you’re in a bad mood.”</p>
<p>“Well, I just spent hours feeling like I was burning in the sun, and then went unconscious for quite some time so, yes, sorry if I’m not in a good mood.”</p>
<p>“I’ll leave you be. You shouldn’t perform more than simple spells today, your receptors are still adjusting and performing big acts of magic can seriously affect them.”</p>
<p>“Sure, I’ll just sleep for a couple of hours, I could use the rest.”</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>“When I catch him, that little shit is as good as dead! What was he thinking, inviting Fleur Delacour, off all girls, to dinner?”. Daphne was angry. What was Harry thinking? Inviting her to a date, finding a way for it to happen when she’d said she couldn’t go, and then inviting another girl to dinner at the Slytherin table? In front of everyone?</p>
<p>“Easy, I don’t think it was entirely his fault. From what I understood, she pressured him a lot into doing it.”, defended Blaise, siding with his best mate. It was hard, as he hadn’t seen Harry since Malfoy had rudely ended their dinner. He was rethinking his idea of even mentioning it to Tracey that morning. Obviously, she had gone to Daphne right away. “Look, at least give him a chance to explain himself.”</p>
<p>“From what I can see, he doesn’t even have the balls to show up here and explain, so why should I care about what he has to say?”</p>
<p>“He’s probably getting ready for the tournament. From what Fleur said last night, they are going to have to face a dragon, so he’s probably freaking out with his mentor wherever he’s staying.”</p>
<p>That was news to Daphne. “A dragon? He will have to fight a dragon? You’re joking, right? And how did she know about it? The task is supposed to be a surprise to everyone!”</p>
<p>“She didn’t go into details about how she knew it, but she sounded pretty sure it was a dragon.”</p>
<p>“Of course, she’s probably cheating in some way.”</p>
<p>She took an elbow in the back from Tracey, who was sitting beside her. She was about to complain, looking furiously at her best friend, but Tracey spoke before she could say anything.</p>
<p>“Harry is going to face a dragon in two days, and you’re worried about Fleur Delacour? Really? C’mon Daph, you’re better than this. He invited you on a date, not her. And you didn’t even have to pressure him into doing so. So just relax with the jealousy, okay?”</p>
<p>Tracey’s words were harsh, but they were true as well. It was like a slap in the face for Daphne.</p>
<p>“Yes, you’re right,” She agreed “it’s just… She is a Veela and all, it’s hard to compete.”</p>
<p>“She’s three years older than us, she would hardly be interested in him that way.” tried Tracey, hoping to calm her best friend.</p>
<p><em>‘I wouldn’t be so sure about that’</em> thought Blaise, this time having the wisdom of keeping his mouth shut.</p>
<p>An owl had, in the meantime, dropped a copy of the Daily Prophet in front of her breakfast plate, without Daphne even noticing. Opening the newspaper up to see if something interesting had happened, she found barely anything, with only a small article about the Triwizard Tournament on page three, including a small photograph of all the champions lined up. She couldn’t help but noticing the look Cedric was giving Fleur, and how Harry seemed completely unaffected by her allure. That was something, at least.</p>
<p>Her concerns returning to the dragon, she asked Blaise:</p>
<p>“How did he react about the dragon thing? Did he look scared, confident?”</p>
<p>“To be honest, I didn’t really notice” answered Blaise, blushing and looking down at his plate.</p>
<p>“Of course you didn’t.” she huffed “Boys!”</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>Fleur’s days had been increasingly filled. Between studying the vulnerabilities of dragons and what spells would be effective against them, the classes with Madam Maxime, which had become increasingly demanding as the first task approached, and spending time with Luna, she found herself way too busy to think about anything else. She noticed her control over her allure was diminishing as the stress increased, so she started to avoid the Hogwarts Halls more and more. She had taken advantage of Luna’s friendship with all magical creatures, including the House elves, to arrange for the meals to be brought to her room in the Beauxbatons carriages, so she could continue with her studies even while eating.</p>
<p>She would sometimes invite Luna to lunch or dinner with her, and this was one of those times. It was the night before the first task, and both of the girls were enjoying one of Fleur’s favourite dishes, a Cassoulet, courtesy of probably the weirdest house elf Fleur had ever met. His name was Dobby, he was Luna’s favorite elf, and he had a funny obsession with socks.</p>
<p>But he had learned how to cook French food for her, and for that she was eternally grateful.</p>
<p>“Fleur, this room is bursting with Dabberblimp’s, you need to relax, or you won’t be able to sleep at all”</p>
<p>“I know, but I just don’t feel ready. Dragons are very dangerous creatures Luna.”</p>
<p>The smaller girl didn’t know what to say to that, so she just got closer and embraced Fleur. She closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth coming out of the Ravenclaw. Tears flowed to her eyes, and she decompressed a little from the stress of the last few days.</p>
<p>“Thank you, Luna” She said. “Your friendship means a lot to me, I just want you to know that.”</p>
<p>“Please don’t die tomorrow Fleur” the girl asked, “I don’t know what I would do if something happened.”</p>
<p>“Don’t worry dear, I’ll do my best”</p>
<p>They hold each other tightly for a long time.</p>
<p>It was in that embrace that Fleur slowly drifted to sleep.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>Harry woke up more nervous than he had ever felt before. Today was the day he was going up against a dragon. A goddamn dragon. <em>‘The organizers must be insane’</em> he thought to himself.</p>
<p>He had spent the last two days recovering from the ritual while going through the small library Salazar had left him, in search of something that would help.</p>
<p>He learned about the Conjunctivitis Curse that was usually used on dragons, but that was only to blind the dragon, not to defeat him. And there were a lot of warnings that a blinded dragon could be even more dangerous.</p>
<p>With Salazar’s approval, he had opted for a simpler strategy, one that played to his strengths.</p>
<p>Due to all his preparation he hadn’t seen his friends for the last three days, so he decided to go to breakfast in the Hogwarts Hall. He could really use their support after all.</p>
<p>“So, this may be the last time we talk to each other” said Salazar.</p>
<p>“That’s a nice way to cheer me up, no doubt” he replied, dryly. “But yes, it’s a very possible scenario, unfortunately.”</p>
<p>“I have faith in you. We did all we could. I feel you’re prepared for this. Now go and stun them all with the magical abilities of a fourteen-year-old trained by the Great Salazar Slytherin!”</p>
<p>“Now that sounds way more like a prep talk. I will. Thank you for all the help and the shelter. I wouldn’t know what I would have done without you.”</p>
<p>“This chamber was built for you and all my descendants. And my knowledge should not stay here rotting away in the shadows. I’m glad you showed up here. Now go, child. Make me proud.”</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>He decided to meet Blaise, Tracey and Daphne in the Slytherin common room.</p>
<p>When he arrived, he had to wait for someone to open the door for him, not knowing the newly updated password.</p>
<p>“Harry, long time no see! Nervous?”  Tracey had been the first to spot him.</p>
<p>“I’m glad I haven’t eaten yet, otherwise I would be throwing up from the nerves right now.”</p>
<p>She gave him a quick hug, stepped back, looked at him and said:</p>
<p>“Why does it look like you’ve grown again? What is happening to you? I don’t see you for a few days and it looks like you’ve grown a lot.”</p>
<p>“I don’t know, puberty, maybe?”</p>
<p>“Well, piece of advice for you: Daphne’s pissed off about that little stunt you pulled with Fleur Delacour a few nights ago, so take it easy with her, yes?”</p>
<p>“To be honest, Tracey, I’d rather deal with one hundred mad Daphne’s than with the task that’s waiting for me in a few hours.”</p>
<p>“Oh the dragon? Yes, we heard about that, Blaise told us. We have been worrying so much for you. Tell me you have a plan?”</p>
<p>“I do, but I can never be sure about it when I’m facing a bloody dragon, you know?”</p>
<p>“I know, but you already killed a Basilisk, and you were twelve. I have faith in you. Oh, and that thing about preferring one hundred mad Daphne’s? I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”</p>
<p>Daphne chose that moment to make her appearance, the timing so perfect that Harry almost suspected it was previously planned.</p>
<p>“Harry, there you are. Finally decided to show your face around here, hum?”</p>
<p>“Daphne I…” But she interrupted him right away.</p>
<p>“Don’t worry. You have a dragon to face. Worry about that. We’ll talk later. But trust me, the dragon is going to be the easiest thing you’ll face today.”</p>
<p>Harry was now really scared of what would happen to him if he survived the first task.</p>
<p>“Well, then I better make sure that dragon kills me for good.” He joked, feeling himself break out in a cold sweat</p>
<p>They waited for Blaise and made their way to the Great Hall.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>Harry’s breakfast was filled with words of support from a lot of Slytherins, still some stares from a few Hufflepuffs, and a lot of insisting from his friends for him to eat something.</p>
<p>“C’mon Harry, we don’t want you fainting in front of the dragon due to lack of food” Insisted Blaise, for the tenth time.</p>
<p>“I said I’m good, I’ve already eaten something” he defended.</p>
<p>“One small bite of toast is nothing” noted Tracey, putting two slices of bacon on his plate when she thought he wasn’t looking. Facing his eyes, she defended herself “You always love bacon, I am trying to help.”</p>
<p>“Yeah right.”</p>
<p>“Excuse me, Mister Potter?” The photographer from the Wand Weighing Ceremony was upon them. “Rita would like to speak with you in private outside of the Great Hall in about five minutes, is that all right for you?”</p>
<p>“Sure, tell her I’ll meet her there” He replied, noticing the curious looks from his friends.</p>
<p>“Friends with Skeeter now, Harry?” Asked Tracey, with a raised eyebrow.</p>
<p>“She’s a dangerous woman, you have to be careful with her Harry” was Daphne’s comment.</p>
<p>“Don’t worry, I have everything under control. She’s just doing me a favor.”</p>
<p>He got up and walked out of the Hall.</p>
<p>“Rita, good morning to you”</p>
<p>“Harry, quickly, come here. I have something to talk to you about.”</p>
<p>He walked into the Trophy room, with some bad memories coming up from the last time he had been there. But the room was empty, so it was as good a spot as any.</p>
<p>“What’s up, any major discoveries already?”</p>
<p>“No, but I have some news for you. Your aunt Petunia’s house is apparently under some sort of Fidelius Charm or something similar, so we can’t really find it. We haven’t been able to speak with them yet.”</p>
<p>“I wasn’t aware of that. Owls were able to find me. Dumbledore must have put some protections in place, of course. Is there anything I can do to help?”</p>
<p>“Well, if it really is the Fidelius and you’re not the secret keeper, then we’re kind of screwed. If you give a memory of you being in the house, I might be able to find if something different than a Fidelius has been used.”</p>
<p> “Sure, how do I do that?” He asked curiously. He’d seen the Pensieve in Dumbledore’s office, but he didn’t know how to pull memories out.</p>
<p>“It’s really simple. Just close your eyes, focus on that memory, put your wand against your forehead, and imagine expelling the memory from your brain. It will come out.”</p>
<p>“That seems fairly simple” He replied, doing as she told. A small silver mist hung on the tip of his wand when he was finished, and he placed it in the small vial Rita had handed him.</p>
<p>“Perfect. We will talk more when I have something to show you. I won’t use owls because Dumbledore might be watching your mail.”</p>
<p>“Smart idea, thanks Rita. And good luck with the investigation.”</p>
<p>He quickly got out of the trophy room, finding his friends waiting just outside for him.</p>
<p>“Ready to do this?” asked Blaise, sharing the look of concern present on the girls faces.</p>
<p>“More than I’ll ever be, I guess. Let’s go.”</p>
<p>And the four of them made their way to the quidditch pitch together, where the first task would be taking place.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>
  <strong>AN: Chapter 10 is now up, and he have arrived to the first task. I’ve decided to stop the chapter here, as I want to give a special attention to the task. It’s the first big action scene and I have big plan for it.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>I won’t put a chapter up tomorrow, probably. But on Sunday the chapter will be bigger to make up for it.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>I want to thank my Beta Noam, for the amazing work he has put in the last two chapters. He also agreed to take a look at the first eight, so we’ll be revising all them for writing mistakes, the content won’t change. That won’t happen for about a week though.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Thank you all for the reviews, follows and Kudos. This story as crossed 11k views on both platforms, which is just incredible to me.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Keep them coming.</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11 - The First Task</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As the four Slytherins arrived to the quidditch pitch, they were stopped by Professor Flitwick.</p>
<p>The small professor smiled at Harry and informed.</p>
<p>“Mister Potter, I’m here to inform you that all the champions are expected in the champions tent” He turned around and pointed at a small tent adjacent to the stadium. “You’ll receive all the information regarding the task there.”</p>
<p>“Thank you, professor” answered Harry, smiling back at his charm’s teacher.</p>
<p>“The rest of your friends will have to go to the stands, as only champions and judges are allowed inside.” Having completed his job, Flitwick was prepared to leave them when he blurted out “Oh and good luck to you Mister Potter. I’m sure the entire school is cheering for you.”</p>
<p>“I wouldn’t be so sure professor,” the memories of the death stares he constantly got from Hufflepuffs very present in his mind “but I appreciate the sentiment. Thank you.”</p>
<p>Turning to his friends with a grim look on his face, Harry joked.</p>
<p>“This might be the last time you guys see me before I turn into a human barbecue. Thank you for these three amazing years.” He smiled, but you could see his anxiety was going through the roof.</p>
<p>“Don’t you even dare joke with something like that.” Said Tracey, giving him a tight hug. “Tonight, we will celebrate your victory over a dragon.”</p>
<p>Blaise was next, saying goodbye with a simple “Good luck, mate”. Despite the few words, the look exchanged between both boys meant a lot to Harry. He was lucky to have found Blaise, he knew he could count on him for everything.</p>
<p>“I will be very angry if you die out there to the dragon and I don’t get the chance to kill you later.” She said, with a tear threatening to escape her eyes, as she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.</p>
<p>“I’ll do my best, can’t wait to be killed by you Daphne!”</p>
<p>They parted ways, with Harry going to the champions tent and his friends to the stands, to support him.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>He was the last one to arrive to the tent, his goodbyes to his friends taking some time.</p>
<p>Harry looked around, seeing the other three competitors not holding up much better than him. Cedric presented a greenish look, appearing to have parted ways with his breakfast not long ago. Krum was, as usual, brooding in a corner, but even his closed expression couldn’t hide his nerves, his feet tapping the floor in a frantic way. Fleur looked the worst, her radiating beauty shadowed by an apparent lack of sleep and a nervous almost crazy look in her eyes. He gave her a brief smile she was barely able to return.</p>
<p>"Harry! Good-o!" said Bagman happily, looking around at him. "Come in, come in, make yourself at home!"</p>
<p>Bagman looked somehow like a slightly overblown cartoon figure, standing amid all the pale-faced champions. He was wearing his old Wasp robes.</p>
<p>"Well, now we're all here - time to fill you in!" said Bagman brightly. "When the audience has assembled, I'm going to be offering each of you this bag" - he held up a small sack of purple silk and shook it at them - "from which you will each select a small model of the thing you are about to face! There are different - er - varieties, you see. And I have to tell you something else too...ah, yes...your task is to collect the golden egg!"</p>
<p>Harry glanced around. Cedric had nodded once, to show that he understood Bagman's words, and then started pacing around the tent again. Fleur Delacour and Krum hadn't reacted at all. Perhaps they thought they might be sick if they opened their mouths; that was certainly how Harry felt. But they, at least, had volunteered for this...</p>
<p>And in no time at all, hundreds upon hundreds of pairs of feet could be heard passing the tent, their owners talking excitedly, laughing, joking.... Harry felt as separate from the crowd as though they were a different species. And then - it seemed like about a second later to Harry - Bagman was opening the neck of the purple silk sack.</p>
<p>"Ladies first," he said, offering it to Fleur Delacour.</p>
<p>She put a shaking hand inside the bag and drew out a tiny, perfect model of a dragon - a Welsh Green. It had the number three around its neck.</p>
<p>He pulled out the scarlet Chinese Fireball. It had a number two around its neck. He didn't even blink, just sat back down and stared at the ground.</p>
<p>Cedric put his hand into the bag, and out came the blueish-gray Swedish Short-Snout, the number one tied around its neck. Knowing he would be fourth, Harry put his hand into the silk bag and pulled out the Hungarian Horntail with the number four. It stretched its wings as he looked down at it and bared its minuscule fangs.</p>
<p>"Well, there you are!" said Bagman. "You have each pulled out the dragon you will face, and the numbers refer to the order in which you are to take on the dragons, do you see? Now, I'm going to have to leave you in a moment, because I'm commentating. Mr. Diggory, you're first, just go out into the enclosure when you hear a whistle, all right? Now...Harry...could I have a quick word? Outside?"</p>
<p>"Er...yes," said Harry blankly, and he got up and went out of the tent with Bagman, who walked him a short distance away, into the trees, and then turned to him with a fatherly expression on his face.</p>
<p>"Feeling all right, Harry? Anything I can get you?"</p>
<p>"What?" said Harry. "I - no, nothing."</p>
<p>"Got a plan?" said Bagman, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "Because I don't mind sharing a few pointers, if you'd like them, you know. I mean," Bagman continued, lowering his voice still further, "you're the underdog here, Harry....Anything I can do to help..."</p>
<p>"No," said Harry so quickly he knew he had sounded rude, "no - I - I know what I'm going to do, thanks."</p>
<p>"Nobody would know, Harry," said Bagman, winking at him.</p>
<p>"No, I'm fine," said Harry, wondering why he kept telling people this, and wondering whether he had ever been less fine. "I've got a plan worked out, I -"</p>
<p>A whistle had blown somewhere.</p>
<p>"Good lord, I've got to run!" said Bagman in alarm, and he hurried off.</p>
<p>Harry walked back to the tent and saw Cedric emerging from it, greener than ever. Harry tried to wish him luck as he walked past, but all that came out of his mouth was a sort of hoarse grunt.</p>
<p>He returned to the tent finding that the scenario hadn’t changed a bit while he was gone.</p>
<p>He sat on one the couches provided, with Fleur moving closer to him. They shared a look filled with concern, with Harry then remembering the kiss Fleur had given him the last time they had seen each other and blushed a little.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>Daphne was seated between Blaise and Tracey when Cedric entered the arena. The Swedish Short-Snout sat calmly in the middle of the arena, right in front of a dozen eggs. One of the eggs, the one on top, was of a golden color.</p>
<p>Cedric paled even more when he saw the actual dragon. The dragon was around twenty-five feet of pure muscle.</p>
<p>Cedric immediately tried the most obvious solution “A<em>ccio golden egg</em>”. Nothing happened.</p>
<p>“It was a good try” Commented Blaise. “Imagine they had forgot to put an anti-summoning charm on the egg. That would be hilarious.”</p>
<p>Daphne found none of it hilarious. Cedric was taking a serious risk facing the dragon.</p>
<p>The Hufflepuff then opted to transfigure a couple of dogs and set them to run around the arena trying to see if the dragon would chase them. The dogs run just a few yards when a jet on very intense flames hit them, leaving just a piece of burned floor as proof they ever existed.</p>
<p>Cedric looked quite lost about what to do next, deciding to start shooting what seemed random curses at Swedish Short-Snout. They had no effect on the dragon except making him turn to the boy and shot another burst of flames. Cedric dodged them in time, but the situation didn’t look good for the Hufflepuff.</p>
<p>Daphne was starting to feel fearful of the older boy’s life.</p>
<p>Cedric shoot a couple of really overpowered stunner at the dragon a make a run for a closer rock.</p>
<p>The red beams hit inoffensively the skin of the dragon, and another jet of flames was sent his Cedric’s direction. Covered behind a rock, he was able to dodge most of the effects of the flames, but the feeling of intense heat made him cough a lot.</p>
<p>Feeling desperate, he once again transfigured some of the rocks, this time into several eagles, who immediately launched into an attack at the dragon.</p>
<p>Taking the distraction, Cedric decided to make a run for the egg.</p>
<p>Daphne watched in horror as Cedric approached the eggs. At the same time, almost in slow-motion, as the Swedish Short-Snout make quick work of the eagles and turned to the Hufflepuff who was now in open view of the dragon.</p>
<p>The dragon opened his mouth at the same time Daphne hid her head in Tracey’s shoulder. Close to where she was sitting, a very disturbed Cho Chang emitted a scream that was heard all around the stadium. On the other side of the stadium, Dumbledore was up, pointing his wand at his student.</p>
<p>In the next moment, the flames hit the Hogwarts champion dead on.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>Harry, Fleur and Victor Krum all changed looks when they heard the scream.</p>
<p>Neither of them was allowed to watch Cedric’s go at the dragon, so they wouldn’t cheat.</p>
<p>The tension in the room palpably increased and Krum, knowing he was the next on the line, clenched his fists so hard that small lines of blood was visible coming out of his hands.</p>
<p>They all waited in silence for around twenty more minutes.</p>
<p>Then the sound of the canon signaling Krum’s turn to go into the arena was heard loudly.</p>
<p>Taking a very deep breath, he slowly left the tent leaving Fleur and Harry alone.</p>
<p>The moment he left, Fleur started crying. Harry moved closer, sitting on the same sofa as her, trying to comfort her.</p>
<p>“We are going to die out there, aren’t we?”</p>
<p>“Of course not Fleur, Cedric probably just got injured or something. I’m sure he’s fine and we will be too. And you’re a Vella, you’re fire resistant, right?”</p>
<p>“A little” she answered, “But not to a point I could withstand dragon fire.”</p>
<p>“Fleur look at me” At this point Harry realized that the important was not to console the crying girl, but to motivate her to do her best. The intensity of her look on his eyes was burning, and for a moment their entire world was just the two of them. “You are going to defeat this dragon. You are a very powerful witch, you have seven years of training, and you prepared for this. We knew it was dragons, we prepared. You have to trust whatever strategy you decided to go with.”</p>
<p>“But what if I never see my parents again? What would my sister do without me? What about poor Luna? What happens to all of them if I die out there? Why did I enter this stupid tournament?”</p>
<p>Harry couldn’t stop himself from smiling. The first thing that made him smile was seeing that Fleur did have a softer side, a vulnerable one, and that she actually cared about people. She would be facing death in a few minutes and her worries were her parents, sister, and a girl she had met a few days ago. That told a lot about her priorities. The people Fleur loved were way above her own life. That was a very different side of what most people got to see, the arrogant beautiful Veela. Harry felt honored to get to see this side of her. The other thing that made him smile was the fact she had finally agreed with him. This tournament was indeed stupid.</p>
<p>“Fleur, they will be just fine. You know why? Because you are going to survive this. You will be going out there, get the egg and get out unscathed. I want you to promise that to me, okay? I’ve always been told promises are to keep, so you will have to do it. Understood?</p>
<p>“Yes, you’re right. I have to do this for them. I put myself in this situation, now I have to get out. And yes, I promise you, Harry. I’ll do it.” And then, without even a warning sign, Fleur leaned in and gave him a very small kiss on his lips.</p>
<p>The canon sounded again, and it was Fleur’s time. She gave him a weak smile and made her way out of the tent.</p>
<p>As Fleur left the tent, Harry stood completely still right where she had left him. His body was on fire. His mouth was burning so hot he felt he was already under the fire of the dragon. His hand slowly touched his lips, feeling the exact place they had connected. He didn’t know what to feel or what to do. It had been his first kiss, one he had thought about doing with Daphne.</p>
<p>‘<em>Daphne!!’ </em>he thought<em> ‘What will she say to all of this?’</em></p>
<p>With the reassurance he was going to die either way, either by the fire of the dragon or at the hands of the Slytherin girl, Harry resigned himself to the task ahead.</p>
<p>Once he heard the canon again, he stepped out to face whatever fate had reserved for him.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>Fleur stepped outside of the champions tent to a very silent crowd. No cheering, no friendly banter, nothing. Just stunned silence. The Welsh green was a small dragon comparing to some others, but was still massive to fleur, measuring at about fifteen feat. The dragon was curled up around the eggs.</p>
<p>Fleur, remembering Harry’s words, followed the plan she had come up with Madam Maxime.</p>
<p>She fully released her allure, powering it up with some of her magic. The effect was immediate. Men and boys all around the stands were completely enticed by her, some even trying to jump into arena.</p>
<p>Feathers started showing up around her neck and arms, but Fleur hid her embarrassment, fueling more and more magic into her allure.</p>
<p>The dragon, feeling the effects of a familiar presence, the affinity to the warmth and fire, started to relax, and a few minutes later, with the constant exposure to the intense allure, started to fall asleep. Fleur waited a few more minutes to be sure, not wanting to wake up the dragon when she would be so close to him. Still fueling her allure, and feeling her magic beginning to feel frailer, she reached her now or never moment.</p>
<p>Slowly she walked to the eggs, grabbed the golden one, and slowly made her way to the exit. She safely arrived there, no injuries at all, just with her jacket a little burnt, due to a small flame that left the dragon’s nose when he was sleeping.</p>
<p>She was radiant and with an enormous feeling of accomplishment when she was sent to the med bay, as it was procedure for all the champions. She found a brooding Krum, who seemed to have a small limp on one of his legs, but nothing worse. She found no signal of Cedric, and that brought all her fears back, Harry still had to do his run, and his dragon was the worst of all.</p>
<p>Once she got cleared by the Hogwarts med witch, a lady who presented herself as Madam Pomfrey, Fleur ran towards the arena’s exit to try and see how Harry was doing.</p>
<p>When she arrived and was able to see what was happening, she was stunned. The display of power and brilliance were both incredible. With the show Harry was putting on, he was presenting himself as a real contestant to win the tournament. Damn, if this was the extent of his power, Fleur thought this would put him at least in the same level as she and the others.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>Harry stepped onto the arena knowing this could be the last few minutes of his life in case his plan didn’t work. It was risky, be he felt confidence in his capabilities and his family’s gift.</p>
<p>He saw the dragon. The black Hungarian Horntail was just like the miniature dragon he had taken from Bagman’s bag, but this one measured more than thirty feet. His tail was just like the name indicated, filled with horns, with the bigger being almost the size of Harry. One hit from that tail and Harry would be done for.</p>
<p>He remembered the lessons he had with Salazar. The focus of magic was intent, and Harry focused his. Closing his eyes, he focused all his intent in what he was trying to create. Slowly, the ground between him and the dragon started to shake. Gasps from the audience started to be heard, as people started to understand what Harry was doing. Fear and amazement ran through the crowd, some people taking a closer look and others trying to run out of there.</p>
<p>The dragon looked at him, mixed with curiosity and a hint of fear, as he felt the amount of magic right in front of him.</p>
<p>Studently the ground started shaking, and Harry opened his eyes and satisfied contemplated his creation.</p>
<p>A forty feet Basilisk stood right in front of him, taking a defensive stance in front of his creator.</p>
<p>The Hungarian Horntail was now fearful and started to release jets of fire in the direction of the giant snake, but the Basilisk shook them off as if they were nothing. He slithered away from Harry, obeying his commands, with the dragon following behind him. The Hungarian Horntail now saw the Basilisk as the biggest threat to him and his children, so he forgot about Harry.</p>
<p>Feeling the drain of the magic he had used and knowing he couldn’t keep it forever, Harry ran towards the eggs as the Basilisk and the Hungarian Horntail got involved in a brutal fight, the snake biting the dragon multiple times and the dragon hitting the snake multiple times with his horned tail, both sustained serious injuries but kept fighting. The dragon desperate to protect his children and the Basilisk obeying to his creator.</p>
<p>Harry quickly grabbed the golden egg and ran toward the exit, feeling his energy rapidly disappearing as the Basilisk demanded more and more magic to stay alive against the dragon.</p>
<p>Dark spots appeared around his vision, and Harry knew he couldn’t take it any longer. He dispelled the Basilisk, seeing the dragon immediately going back to the eggs. He felt how close he was and made a desperate push, running the last few yard and collapsing as soon as he felt himself cross the protective wards around the arena.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>Daphne was terrified. She had seen Harry’s performance with a mix of amazement and fear. She saw how he transfigured the ground in from of him into a Basilisk, and the fear that followed. People fled the stands at a great number, but she felt herself incapable of even moving one inch. Tracey and Blaise stood by her side, the trio watching as dragon and Basilisk fought the most intense battle any of them had ever seen. Then they saw Harry running to the egg, grabbing it, and running towards the exit. They watched, in horror, as the Basilisk disappeared and the dragon going after Harry. When Harry collapse just behind the protective wards the trio panicked and made their way to the med bay.</p>
<p>When they arrived, they found two aurors protecting the entrance.</p>
<p>“Anyone but the judges, the champions and Amelia Bones has the right to enter this space until new orders arrive” was what the younger auror, a girl in her mid-twenties with pink hair, told them.</p>
<p>“Our friend is inside, we saw him collapsing on the floor. We just want to know if he’s alright, please!”</p>
<p>“I’m sorry” The younger auror said, feeling for the desperate teenagers in front of her “But there’s nothing I can do until I’m told otherwise.”</p>
<p>Tracey was so worried she decided to try and make a run for it, but the senior auror, a tall dark-skinned man quickly grabbed her and pointed his wand to her head.</p>
<p>“Do you want to spend a few months in jail girl?” He said in a very calm tone, but the impending threat very noticeable in his words. When Tracey shook her head, he said “Thought so. I’m sorry for your situation, truly, but this are orders from the head of the DMLE, and I won’t break them even for the minister himself, imagine for a few kids. You can stay there and wait, but you will not be entering this room.”</p>
<p>The man had a deep soothing voice, but the feeling of danger came with every word. The Slytherin trio decided to wait, and a few minutes later Fleur Delacour came out of the room.</p>
<p><em>‘Why does it have to be her?’</em> thought Daphne, but she was able to swallow her pride and ask the girl if she knew anything about Harry’s condition.</p>
<p>Fleur smiled and replied “He’s fine. He exhausted all his magic with the transfiguration of the Basilisk and whet into a state of coma provoked by magical exhaustion. A few days of recovery and he will be fine.”</p>
<p>The relief those words brought to the Slytherin students was visible, with Daphne managing a “Thank you” before grabbing Tracey and starting to cry of relief for his housemate.</p>
<p>They later got the information that Harry had already been transferred to the Hogwarts Hospital Wing and he would only be allowed visitors in the next day. Seeing no point in standing there, the Slytherins made their way to the castle, exhausted after a very emotional day.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>“So, isn’t it incredible that Harry is winning?” Said Theo Nott, as he joined their table at dinner</p>
<p>“What do you mean?” Asked Blaise, confused.</p>
<p>“Haven’t you guys heard? The Judges announced the scores minutes after Harry finish his run.”</p>
<p>“No, we had other concerns in mind” explained Tracey “but how is the score?”</p>
<p>“Well, they gave Cedric 10 points, but I think it was more out of mercy, as he didn’t complete the task and needed Dumbledore’s intervention not to die. Krum got thirty-eight points, because the dragon smashed some of the eggs when he got blinded. Fleur got thirty-eight as well, even though she had the cleanest run, she used her allure, and advantage over the others, so they took some points for that.”</p>
<p>“Well, what about Harry?” Asked Tracey, exited for her friend.</p>
<p>“Well, Harry got forty-one. The magic he employed was incredible, even Dumbledore was impressed, but Karkaroff took a lot of points with the excuse he endangered the crowd with the Basilisk.”</p>
<p>“That’s so unfair, no one in the crowd got hurt due to the Basilisk, only some people trying to run away got some minor injuries.”</p>
<p>“Well, that and one of the idiots from the visitors stand, who decided to try and disapparate inside the school, and he spent a few minutes bouncing off wards. But that was his own fault I guess.”</p>
<p>“So, Harry is winning, who saw that one coming?”</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>
  <strong>AN: So, this one closes the first part of this story, the road leading to the first task. Harry gave away the dimension of his power, and the romance with Fleur is gaining ground, as they share a lot of the same situations. But to the Daphne fans, don’t worry, she’s not done.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>I know I promised this chapter Sunday, but I have a very important and difficult week ahead of me, just as my Beta. I probably won’t be uploading more this week, but the regular (mostly daily) uploads will return next weekend. Stay tuned.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Thanks to my Beta Noam for his important feedback.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Thank you for all the reviews, follows and Kudos. I really appreciate it.</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Harry woke up in a bed he knew all too well. The Hogwarts medical wing.</p>
<p>He felt tired, and the last thing he remember was running for the exit of the arena with a dragon tailing him.</p>
<p>“Good, you’re awake” he heard the voice of Madam Pomfrey. “One day, Mister Potter, I hope you come by for a social visit. You have definitely been my most frequent patient, and I can see a trend where it’s always a life or death situation.”</p>
<p>“Well, trust me, I don’t do it on purpose, I just always end up in a situation that puts me under your care. Can you please tell me what happened? How long have I been out?”</p>
<p>“Well, it’s around five AM at the moment, you’ve slept an entire day and two nights. You managed to exit the arena and your run was completed with that. I don’t know the scores, but I’m sure your friends will tell you in a few hours. They passed by yesterday, a trio of Slytherins and the Beauxbatons champion with a small Ravenclaw girl. You were still out, so I sent them away. They said they would return today, so you can expect them to be here after breakfast.”</p>
<p>It felt nice to know his friends had come to see him, as well as Fleur and Luna. <em>‘Salazar’</em> he thought <em>‘He will probably think I’m dead!’</em>.</p>
<p>“When will I be able to leave?” He asked Madam Pomfrey, who was already returning to her office.</p>
<p>“Well, maybe tomorrow afternoon or in two days. You need to rest. You achieved a very high level of magical exhaustion, you need to give your body time to regain an acceptable level of magic again. Us, wizards, are dependent on magic for the basic functions of our body, we are deeply connected with it. As we age, this dependence will grow even more, as magic extends our life expectancy for quite a few years. So, I want to keep you here under observation for a little while.”</p>
<p>“I see. Thank you, Madam.”</p>
<p>There was nothing he could do to inform Salazar of his success, so he would just have to wait. He was curious to see how the ritual would influence his recovery, as he was hoping it would accelerate it.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>“Harry! How are you feeling?” asked Tracey.</p>
<p>“Good actually. Still a bit tired, but I’m just glad I survived the dragon.”</p>
<p>“Survived?” said Blaise, sarcastically. “You absolutely dominated the task! Really? Transfiguring a Basilisk? Where did you even learned a thing like that?”</p>
<p>“Well, I learned recently that my family has a keen for transfiguration. The Basilisk was Salazar Slytherin’s familiar and having already killed one, I thought it was fitting. The fact that Basilisk’s hide is one of the very few things in the world that can resist dragon fire helped.”</p>
<p>“Well, it was goddamn amazing! Everyone was stunned by the demonstration. Even Dumbledore! I swear I could see him with is mouth wide open.”</p>
<p>“Well, it’s not every day people get to see a Basilisk.” Commented Daphne “I’m glad you’re okay, Harry.” She smiled.</p>
<p>“Thank you, Daphne.” He said “So, can any of you three tell how the scores turned out? And how are the other champions? I see none of them here, so I assume they are all right.”</p>
<p>The three Slytherin’s shared a few looks, no one wanting to speak first.</p>
<p>“Well, you’re in the lead of the tournament right now, by a few points. Fleur and Krum are second and Cedric is last, by a lot” answered Blaise, taking the lead. “Fleur and Krum are all right, they got deducted points for other things, but Cedric… Well he almost died. He got caught by the dragon out in the open and only Dumbledore’s intervention prevented his death. He still got major burns all over his body, and he’s not here because he had to be transferred to St. Mungo’s, in order to be healed. He’s still there and no one knows when he will come back.”</p>
<p>“Well, that sucks, but he volunteered for it right? He actually put his name in the goblet.”</p>
<p>“Yes, but that’s not the point” Said Blaise, finishing off the topic “When are you getting out mate?”</p>
<p>“Pomfrey says maybe tomorrow, if I’m lucky!”</p>
<p>“Good, we miss you in classes. Potions is not that fun when you’re not around to push Snape off the edge” Said Tracey with a laugh.</p>
<p>“Yeah guys, about that… I’m not coming back to class. Not this year, at least. Due to the tournament I don’t have mandatory attendance, and I’m learning so much more how I’m currently studying, that I don’t find it good idea to go back. And the more I can keep away from the old bastard, the better.”</p>
<p>“What? But you can learn a lot from the teachers here. You don’t want to be studying alone for the entire year, right?”</p>
<p>“I’m not alone. In fact, I have one of the better teachers anyone can ask for. Do you think I would be able to transfigure a Basilisk learning from McGonagall? Trust me, I’m better off learning how I’ve been in the last few weeks than at Hogwarts. But I’ll still be around guys! Without the urgency of training for the first task, I can take a little more time to hang out with you guys.”</p>
<p>“Well, you better do that, we miss you, Harry.” Said Tracey, while the other two nodded their accordance.</p>
<p>“I promise, and you guys know I always keep my promises.”</p>
<p>The four friends kept taking until classes began. They made their goodbyes and the trio left, leaving Harry to rest in the infirmary.</p>
<p>Around lunch time, Harry received another visit.</p>
<p>“Luna, Fleur! Thank you for coming” said Harry, not been able to meet Fleur’s eyes, blushing madly with the memory from their last encounter.</p>
<p>“Of course we would come Harry, we are friends!” said Luna, while giving the Slytherin student a big hug. “How are you feeling?</p>
<p>“I’m good, Madam Pomfrey says I’ll probably leave tomorrow, as I’m recovering better than expected.”</p>
<p>“That’s good news!” Said Fleur, smiling at him while noticing he was unable to look her in the eyes. <em>‘Maybe that kiss was too forward for him’</em> she thought.</p>
<p>“It is, I can’t afford been stuck in here for a long time, I have a lot of preparations to do for the next task.”</p>
<p>Harry had been informed by his friends that the egg he had recovered from the dragon contained a clue he had to decipher for the third task, and he had until February 24<sup>th</sup> to do so. He also learned that the second task would take place two days after the Yule Ball, and I would consist in a sort of dueling tournament between the four champions, were they would fight each other two times. He had asked for more details and what he got was that each fight was worth five points, with the winner taking them all. The champion who won the mini-tournament would receive ten additional points, making the maximum you could receive to be fifty points. Even though dueling with three older champions would not be easy, Harry thought that, at least, it would be safer than a dragon. And dueling was something he could actually enjoy. He had always been good at it, with defense being one of his better grades. He would have to ask Salazar for knowledge on offensive spells, but he had one month to do that. He had time.</p>
<p>“I agree, can’t wait to kick your ass on when it’s our turn Harry!” Joked Fleur, winking at him. She really enjoyed teasing the boy, for some reason. “And the Yule Ball should be fun as well, it’s not every day that we get to go to a real party in the wizarding world.”</p>
<p>The Ball was not something Harry wanted to talk about at the moment, with the split he felt regarding what to do with Daphne and Fleur.</p>
<p>“I’m sure it will be.” He said, nerves present in his voice.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>It was the middle of the night, and everyone in the castle was asleep. Then, a voice was heard in the infirmary if Hogwarts.</p>
<p>“Dobby?”</p>
<p>Immediately a small creature, with around three feet in height, giant green eyes, the size of tennis balls, and a very long nose appeared in front of the only bed that was occupied in the infirmary.</p>
<p>“Master Harry Potter, sir! Called for Dobby? Dobby is very happy to help Master Harry Potter, sir. What can Dobby do for Master Harry Potter, sir?”</p>
<p>“Please Dobby, don’t you think Master Harry Potter, sir is a bit of an overkill? You can just call me Harry!”</p>
<p>The big eyes of the small creature filled with tears, as he exclaimed.</p>
<p>“Master Harry Potter, treats Dobby with such respect, asking to call him just Harry like equals. Master Harry Potter, is really a bigger wizard that Dobby ever dreamt of.”</p>
<p>The discussion went for quite some time, until Dobby eventually agreed to Master Harry.</p>
<p>“So, Dobby, I need a favor from you. If you’re willing to help, of course. I understand if you’re too busy with the work you have to do in Hogwarts.”</p>
<p>The small house elf had been working in Hogwarts since Harry had gotten him released from the oppressive servitude of the Malfoy’s. Dumbledore had taken him in, one of the few things Harry was thankful to the Headmaster.</p>
<p>“Dobby is never too busy to help Master Harry, just tell Dobby what he needs to do.”</p>
<p>“Well, I’ve heard a rumor about a room in this castle, a room that can turn into anything you want. It was created by Rowena Ravenclaw. And I’ve heard it’s located in the seventh floor. Do you know anything about it, Dobby?”</p>
<p>The elf looked very sad when he looked at Harry.</p>
<p>“Dobby doesn’t know about the room, Master harry, but Dobby could try to find out!” He volunteered immediately.</p>
<p>“That would be great, thank you Dobby. And please, when you come to me, make sure I’m alone. I want to keep this search a secret. Is that ok, Dobby?”</p>
<p>“Of course, Dobby knows master Harry to be a great wizard, and great wizards always have secrets. Dobby will find the room for Master Harry!” Said the elf with a lot of enthusiasm, disappearing instantly.</p>
<p>“Thank you, Dobby.” Said Harry to the darkness of the night.</p>
<p>A few minutes later, the young champion was fast asleep.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>“Honey, I’m home!” informed Harry, as he entered the chamber of secrets with a golden egg under his arm.</p>
<p>He had been discharged from Madam Pomfrey’s care later the day after he had woken up, with the healer surprised by his fast recovery.</p>
<p>“So, I guess you survived. What took you so long to come back?”</p>
<p>“Well, apparently transfiguring a gigantic Basilisk and fighting a dragon takes a big tool on my magical energy, so after completing the task I went into a coma from magical exhaustion.”</p>
<p>“Understandable, you’re still young after all. I assume the task was successful then?”</p>
<p>“Pretty much, yes. I’m actually in the lead of the tournament.”</p>
<p>“You are? That’s surprising. Maybe we overestimated the competition. If you’re three years younger and winning the tournament, they can’t be that good.”</p>
<p>“Well, two of them just had a bit of bad luck. Krum’s dragon smashed a few eggs when he blinded it, so he lost points for that. And Fleur used her allure to charm the dragon and the judges saw that as an unfair advantage, so she lost some as well. The third champions, Cedric, failed, and only Dumbledore’s intervention saved him from death. And of course, none of them is taught by Salazar Slytherin.”</p>
<p>“You got lucky then, now you have to make sure to take advantage of the lead.” Said Salazar, a tone of smugness on his voice due to Harry’s complement “Did they tell you what the next task is going to be?”</p>
<p>“They told me about the second one, and this egg is supposed to contain a clue for the third one. The second is going to be duels against the other champions. Two rounds against the three of them.”</p>
<p>“That’s good, people are way less unpredictable than magical creatures. What do you know about dueling?”</p>
<p>“A bit, I always enjoyed it. But not as much as I should to compete against the three of them. In our second year, the defense teacher tried to create a dueling club, but the man was a fraud and we learned nothing but the Expelliarmus charm. But I’ve read a lot about the etiquette of dueling. I know you have to bow to your opponent and such. I consider myself good with the defense, I’ve been the top student in DADA since the second year, if we remember that in the first year it was a death eater giving the class. I can always improve, of course. The offense is what I need most help with.”</p>
<p>“Very well, I shall teach you what I can. But you need to practice against someone, teaching spells can only take you so far, and I can’t help you with that.”</p>
<p>“I’ll find someone to help, leave it to me” said Harry</p>
<p>“And about that egg? Have you tried opening it?”</p>
<p>“Not yet, but I guess there’s no better time than the present.” He said, and with that, he opened the egg.</p>
<p>A shrieking sound came out of the egg, lasting only a few seconds until the boy closed it up in hurry.</p>
<p>“What the hell was that?” He commented.</p>
<p>“I’m not sure, but the sound was very familiar. Give me a bit to think where I’ve heard that, but I know what it is.”</p>
<p>“Good, because I don’t know what that was, for sure. Now the dueling, please?”</p>
<p>“Sure, so the simpler strategy when dueling is…”</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>Later that night, Harry was getting ready to go to sleep when he remembered he still had one more thing to do. Arriving at the desk in the small library, he began.</p>
<p>
  <em>Dear Padfoot,</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Hope this letter finds you well, and that your recovery from Azkaban has been good.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>I was hoping for a year at peace at Hogwarts this time, but destiny had other plans. As you probably heard from the news, I’m the fourth champion of the Triwizard Tournament. I didn’t put my name in, but apparently someone wants me dead. I had to fight a dragon as my first task and managed to do it. The next task is on Yule, and it will be a dueling tournament between the four champions. I’m already getting ready for it with the help of my new mentor. I’m safe and well, of that I can assure you.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Things between me and the Headmaster have gone downhill more than ever before, with his lying about my whereabouts to the press and the entire school. I confronted him but things didn’t go in the best direction.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Padfoot, I know you know him for a long time, but I’m telling you he can’t be trusted. I’m distancing myself from him, in the public eyes and in private.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Hope we speak soon,</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Harry</em>
</p>
<p>The letter seemed good enough, so he wrote Padfoot on the front and made his way to the big room of the chamber. Hedwig was already there, having sensed she would be needed. Attaching the letter to one of her legs, he said.</p>
<p>“Deliver this to Sirius, even though it says padfoot on the letter. Thanks girl.”</p>
<p>The snowy owl nodded, her intelligent eyes sparkling. She soon made her way out of the chamber and flew South.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>Albus Dumbledore was pacing back and forth in his office.</p>
<p>He was very surprised with the boy’s demonstration of raw power. Transfiguring a Basilisk and making it fight a dragon for a while was incredible. That a fourteen-year-old had done it was even more spectacular. The boy was incredibly powerful, which was something that didn’t help with Dumbledore’s plan.</p>
<p>He had made a plan thirteen years ago, after James and lily’s death, when he understood that Voldemort wasn’t really as dead as everyone thought him to be. When Hagrid had delivered baby Harry to him, Dumbledore had been quick to figure out that the boy was, indeed, an Horcrux. Thinking that the only way to get rid of said Horcrux was for Voldemort to destroy it himself, Dumbledore had put in motion a plan for that to happen. The Dark Lord could not be allowed to live, for the greater good of the magical population of Britain. Even if some sacrifices needed to be made to achieve it, the greater good was more important than a few lives. That was what Dumbledore told himself when he did some not so leader of the light worth it actions, like pressuring Minister Bagnold to put Sirius Black in Azkaban without a trial, in order to take care of the man’s claims for the guardianship of Harry.</p>
<p>He was able to leave the boy with his aunt using his power as Chief Warlock, as well as sealing the testament of James Potter, which he knew very well had expressively prohibited Harry to stay with his Muggle relatives. He had hoped that growing up with such magic hating muggles would make the boy week and desperate for both guidance and a father figure, with Dumbledore providing both when the boy came to Hogwarts. He hoped that blind loyalty from the boy would make it easier for him to eventually sacrifice himself to Voldemort. Things had not gone perfect for Dumbledore though. The boy, instead of weak, became skeptical. And the worst part, when he put the sorting hat on, he had managed to go to Slytherin, with the hat ignoring the Headmaster’s requests for the boy to be put in Gryffindor. His plan to create a close relation between the boy and the Weasley’s, a family that would follow him blindly, had fail too, with Harry finding young Ron to be boring and dumb. His plans for the romantic relationship between Harry and the younger Weasley were not going well too, with the Slytherin looking more infatuated with his classmate, Daphne Greengrass.</p>
<p>He had hoped that his part in the plot to save Sirius later would help create the trust in him he needed from the boy, but that hadn’t worked too.</p>
<p>And now, this year had been the worst. The boy had disappeared without a trace, and then came back with the ability to transfigure Basilisk’s. He didn’t know where Harry was staying or who as teaching him, but he knew it had to be someone powerful and with a deep knowledge of magic, to have made such progress in less than a month. And the fact that Dumbledore had never been warned, by the school wards, about the boy leaving Hogwarts was even more astonishing. Something was going on and Dumbledore had to know about it. But for now, he would stay in the back, watching. Maybe if he was able to catch whoever put the boy’s name in the Goblet, he could make amends with the young Slytherin, and his plans would go back to the right track.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>
  <strong>AN: I know I told you guys I would post on the weekend, but I wanted this chapter to be reviewed before posting it, and only now did I got it done. I will now return to a more frequent posting schedule, not daily but every other day.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>sdW: Yes, you found out my secret. The main romantic pairing of this story is definitely Salazar and Daphne. Congratulations! Daphne’s secret is that she’s a Necrophiliac! And about Harry closing his eyes in front of the dragon… It was a big arena, and they were on opposite sides of it. And the dragon was calm until the basilisk appeared, so Harry felt it was safe to do so. It may have been a bit reckless, but all went well.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>ALLHEAVEN2: Really appreciate the comment, this kind of reviews are exactly what I enjoy getting. About the height of the dragons, I don’t think that they all need to be gigantic beats. Some are bigger and some are smaller, but they all breath fire, so I’d say they are still pretty dangerous. And 4.5 meters is still enormous for a normal human. Wizards grow at a different rate than muggles as well as living way longer. There is a reason they have their majority at seventeen, and for me is when they finish with their development. They don’t develop less, they develop faster. Magic has a big effect on that. You can still learn a lot of magic over seventeen, new spells, tactics and all of that. But raw magical power is defined at seventeen because that’s when wizards stop growing and became full on adults. Hope I explained my idea a bit better, but I will be more explored in the story at a later time.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Thank you for the follows and reviews. Keep them coming.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Merry Christmas everyone. </strong>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Master Harry Potter, sir! Dobby has found the room you asked.”</p><p>Harry was in the middle of his work out, running around the Black Lake, when he got interrupted by Dobby.</p><p>“I already told you not to call me Master Harry Potter, sir, Dobby!”</p><p>“Dobby is sorry Master Harry; Dobby is happy to have the found the room Master Harry asked. Dobby been waiting for Master Harry to be alone to tell him, just like he was ordered!” The small elf was beaming with happiness.</p><p>“Thank you, Dobby. Lead the way then.” He said.</p><p>Harry followed Dobby inside the castle, they run into no one, since it was so early that everyone was still sleeping. They went up the stairs until they reached the seventh floor, stopping in front of a painting Harry found horrible. How had someone painted that? Who would teach trolls how to do ballet?</p><p>“We are here Master Harry”</p><p>“We are? Where is the room then? Behind the painting?” If it was, he wouldn’t be surprised no one found it, as no one would even touch a painting as bad as that one.</p><p>“Master Harry needs to walk three times back and forth while thinking what he needs, and the door will show up.”</p><p>Harry found it a weird way to access the room, but he tried anyway.</p><p>
  <em>‘A place where I can practice magic.</em>
  <br/>
  <em>A place where I can practice magic.</em>
  <br/>
  <em>A place where I can practice magic.’</em>
</p><p>He thought, as he walked back and forth three times. To Harry’s amazement, a door showed up on the exact spot, on the other side of the painting.</p><p>Opening the door, Harry’s mouth shot down with amazement. The room was gigantic, with targets, training dummies, and even a duel ring. Books containing spells, Harry presumed, stacked up in piles in one corner. Even a shower was available. It was incredible. Turning to Dobby, he said.</p><p>“This is fantastic, Dobby. Thank you so much.”</p><p>“Master Harry don’t need to thank Dobby; Dobby is happy to help. It just shows the greatness of Master Harry once again, thanking Dobby!” The small elf was now bouncing on his thin legs, with an adoring expression on his face.</p><p>“Well, thank you anyway, Dobby. You’ve really helped me.”</p><p>With the smile on his face growing even bigger, if it was even possible, Dobby snapped is fingers and disapparated.</p><p>Harry entered the room, still filled with amazement. Salazar would be so happy when he told him that he had found Rowena’s Room. He had done what his teacher couldn’t, even if he had a little help doing it.</p><p>---------</p><p>Harry decided to test the potential of the room, changing it numerous times to many needs he could have. He even decided to ask for a bathroom and was surprised with a row of bathrooms that seemed almost infinite. ‘<em>Yes’,</em> he thought <em>‘this can really be useful’</em>. After making sure the room could turn into what he needed for his date, he turned it back into the training room and decided to give it a test run. Still in his workout cloths, he decided to get some practice with the dummies.</p><p><em>“Reducto”</em> he said, while pointing his wand at one of the dummies.</p><p>The blasting curse it the target dead on, and the dummy blew up. A few seconds later, another one appeared right where the previous one stood.</p><p><em>‘Amazing’</em> he thought.</p><p>His next few hours were spent firing spells at the same time he tried to dodge imaginary spells coming his way. It wasn’t the best training method, but it would do until he could find a better one.</p><p>---------</p><p>Fleur was watching Harry run, again. After the first task, the boy seemed to take a liking at running around the lake, and with the physical changes he had gone through, Fleur liked to watch it. She was thinking about joining him, when a house elf appeared in front of the boy and they left together.</p><p>‘<em>What a bummer,</em>’ she thought<em> ‘maybe next time.’</em></p><p>Going for her own morning run, she dispersed the thoughts about the Boy-Who-Lived from her head.</p><p>She finished her morning routine and went for breakfast in the Hogwarts Great Hall.</p><p>She waited for Luna at the entrance doors as it had become their routine, but this time the girl didn’t show up. Knowing of her past experiences with bullying and getting worried that something might happen to the girl, she made her way to the Ravenclaw tower, which Luna had showed her one of the times Fleur had insisted on accompany the girl to her dorms.</p><p>When she arrived at the eagle guarding entrance, she got told a riddle that she had to answer in order to get in.</p><p>“<em>I have cities, but no houses.</em></p><p>
  <em>I have mountains, but no trees.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I have water, but no fish.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>What am I?” </em>
</p><p>Fleur thought a few seconds on that and answered. “A map?”</p><p>The eagle nodded and the door opened. What she saw inside made her blood boil.</p><p>Luna was sitting in a corner, her head between her legs, with two older girls making fun at her while throwing stinging hexes at her.</p><p>Before she even thought about it, Fleur’s wand was in her hand.</p><p>‘<em>Levicorpus</em>’ She thought, the non-verbal spell flipping both girls’ upside down, suspending them midair.</p><p>“What do you think you’re doing?” She screamed, her mind filled with rage, and her vision with shades of red. “Do you think this is funny? Making fun of a younger girl? Are you two bitches dumb? I thought I had made myself clear about what would happen if someone messed with Luna.”</p><p>She carefully pointed her wand the one of the girl’s face. “Let’s see if you find it funny now.”</p><p>‘<em>Diffindo</em>’ she whispered, and a small cutting curse made her way to the pretty Chinese girl’s cheek.</p><p>“Not enjoying it so much now” She said, when the girl’s eyes filled with tears “Let’s see what your little friend thinks.”</p><p>“Please, don’t…” The other Ravenclaw begged.</p><p>‘<em>Silencio’ </em>she said, both girls crying and begging not audible anymore.</p><p>Pointing her wand at the other girl’s nose, she said <em>“Engorgio” </em>the nose grew until it was the size of a tennis ball. ‘<em>Accio scissor</em>’ she said after, and a scissor came flying right to her hand.</p><p>“Not, what do you girls think of a new hair cut?”</p><p>Fleur did her best to ruin both girls’ hair, which turned out to be more difficult than she thought, seeing that she was an excellent hairdresser.</p><p>When she finished, she placed a Boils Jinx on both girls, with the boils spelling ‘Bitch’.</p><p>When Fleur was satisfied with her work, she turned to Luna and said.</p><p>“Luna, my dear, why don’t we go for a walk? We could visit the Thestrals and ask Dobby to bring us breakfast there. What do you think?”</p><p>The small Ravenclaw embraced Fleur and nodded her head, and together both girls made her wait to the fringes of the Forbidden Forest.</p><p>Fleur’s mind was still with those two girls, what they had done to her friend, and how she would have a nice conversation with Luna’s head of house later. The nice thoughts of going for a run with the young Slytherin student long gone.</p><p>---------</p><p>The four Slytherin fourth years were finishing dinner, all the while Harry was nearly bursting with the excitement to tell Daphne about the room he had found.</p><p>As they left the Hall and before he said his goodbyes to his friends who were going to the dungeons while he was going to the chamber of secrets, he decided to pull Daphne apart.</p><p>“You guys go ahead, I need to have a small talk with Daph, please.” He said to Blaise and Tracey.</p><p>His best friends looked at each other, and knowing what that meant, decided to give them some space and made their way to the dungeons.</p><p>“I have some news about our date, but as I remember, you wanted to kill me first, right?”</p><p>Daphne smiled, and then got her serious look on.</p><p>“You’re actually lucky I had a few days do cool off, otherwise the physical damage might be irreversible.” She then proceeded to come closer to him, teasing him, and when she was so close he could swear his lips were going to touch, she slapped him in his cheek. “How dare you invite another girl to dinner right after inviting me for a date?”</p><p>Harry grabbed the left side of his face, it was red and it hurt. She hadn’t restrained her strength.</p><p>“I know what I did was wrong, and I apologize for it. I wasn’t given much of a choice, but I should have known better.” He decided to leave what had happened in the champions tent to another day. “Fleur has a difficult life, and as you can notice, she’s very lonely. She doesn’t seem to have friends with the Beauxbatons students nor at Hogwarts, except for Luna. I thought it wouldn’t hurt to be her friend, as she is actually nice under that mask of arrogance.”</p><p>“Well, maybe we can get to know her a bit better, but you still should have asked me first. It was you who invited me on a date after all.” Daphne smirked and winked at Harry.</p><p>“While that’s true, you were the one who jumped on me in front of the entire Great Hall.” He said, watching as her face took a tone of deep red, earning himself another slap, even though this time with way less strength and with a more friendly feel.</p><p>“Such a smartass we got here. Now, you said you had news about our date?”</p><p>“Yes, the date, right. So, have you ever heard of the come and go room? Or of a secret room made by Rowena Ravenclaw?”</p><p>“No, I can’t say that I have. What’s so special about it? Come and go?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.</p><p>“Well, from what I learned, it’s a room created by Rowena, and the house elves call it the come and go room. What it does, is it turns to whatever shape or form you desire. So, if I wanted it to be like my room, it would become my room, if I wanted to practice magic, it will turn into a practice room. And I thought I would be the perfect place for our date!”</p><p>Daphne thought about it for a few seconds before agreeing. “If you can make sure no one finds us there, then we have a plan.”</p><p>“From what I understood, if someone is in there, no one else can get in without the person who’s inside allowing it. And I doubt a lot of people know about the room, it took someone special to find it” he answered.</p><p>Harry got up, and deciding to go for a big romantic gesture, got in one knee and asked.</p><p>“Daphne Greengrass would you do me the honor of accompany me on a date, one week from now?”</p><p>AA bright smile lighted up her face.</p><p>“Of course I would, Mister Potter. The invitation is very appreciated.”</p><p>His lips curved upside to make the form of a big smile.</p><p>“Then it’s a date!” he said, a weight lifting from his chest, as one would always be nervous on a situation like this.</p><p>She gave him a kiss on one of the cheeks she had slapped only minutes before, and happily made her way to the Slytherin dungeons, no doubt to tell Tracey and Astoria about the new developments.</p><p>With a mixture of happiness and worry about the situation he was in, with the two witches apparently interested in him, he made his way to the Chamber of secrets.</p><p>---------</p><p> Harry arrived at the chamber to find Hedwig waiting for him, a letter from Sirius in her paw.</p><p>“Thank you, girl.” He said, petting her on her head, and wandless summoning a few pieces of bacon he had stored under a stasis charm for her. He had been practicing wandless magic ever since Salazar had told him how useful it could be on a duel. It wasn’t nearly as powerful as with a wand, but if he for some reason got disarmed, being able to summon his wand back to him or sending a few low powered curses at his foes to distract them could be a deciding factor.</p><p>
  <em>Harry</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I’m going to start by saying I believe in you when you say you didn’t put your name in the goblet. But that’s a scary perspective, meaning someone else wants you there, and I agree it was with nefarious purposes. You need to be careful and don’t let your guard down. The tournament may be dangerous, but the people who did it may have fail safes in case you manage to beat the tournament without major damages. So be careful, as Moody always say, constant vigilance.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Dumbledore is a complicated man and a very powerful one too. If you want to move against him you need to be careful, there is a reason he is the chief warlock and the supreme mugwump. Don’t do nothing stupid that can put in harms way with the Headmaster.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>And before you do anything foolish, remember he was the one leading the war on Voldemort and that your parents trusted him completely.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I’ve been more of a fan of the man in the past than right now, but he can be a powerful ally against Voldemort. I can’t express this enough, but be careful, don’t antagonize the man completely. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>I really want to know who this new mentor is, I’ve read about your feat at the first task and I must say I’m impressed. I don’t know who it is, but it must be a powerful man to teach you how to do such things at the age of fourteen. I understand if you don’t want to put it in a letter, so I’ll try to come to you so we can speak in person. In the shrieking shack in around two weeks, I’ll send you an owl closer to the date to give you the specifics.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Once again, be careful. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Padfoot</em>
</p><p>Harry pulled the letter closer to his chest. It felt good having someone believing and worrying about him. He really owed Sirius more credit.</p><p>As he had been doing for the past few weeks, right before he went to bed, he scanned the Marauders map for a few minutes, looking for something suspicious.</p><p>Daphne was in her room with Tracey and Astoria, he noticed, probably all speaking about the incoming date. Dumbledore was pacing in his office, like he used to do. He noticed Fleur and Luna were together in the Beauxbatons carriages. He smiled at the friendship the two were forming. It was good to know that neither of the girls was alone anymore. He noticed how Barty Crouch was, once again, in Professor Moody’s office<em>. ‘Those two really liked to talk late at night’</em> he thought to himself. ‘<em>Was there, maybe, a scandalous relation to be found?’ </em>he thought, humorously.</p><p>Noticing nothing uncommon, he closed the map and went to sleep.</p><p>---------</p><p>Harry finished putting on his glamour’s. He looked himself in the mirror. Blue eyes looked back. His hair was now of a dark blond tone, his face swollen to look more like Dudley did. His scar was hidden by his bangs, with a strong notice-me-not charm on it. No one would ever look at that boy and recognize him as the boy who lived.</p><p>Today he had two missions to accomplish in Diagon Alley. First, he needed to go to Gringotts. After much study of the contract for the Triwizard tournament, both Salazar and Harry himself had arrive to the conclusion that he needed to be considered of age to be a champion. The fact that he had already take part on the first task meant the contract was valid so, by the laws of the Wizarding World, he was emancipated. Which meant he was now able to access his family vaults as well as claim his Lordship of the Potter family. It was an exciting moment.</p><p>His second task was to find a new wand. With the threat of Voldemort and his presence in the tournament, he knew that he would soon need to fight for his life. And not agreeing with Dumbledore’s view that everyone could be redeemed, he knew he would be forced to cast spells he preferred not to cast with his personal wand. So, a second wand was his best option.</p><p>He knew Ollivander’s was out of the question. The man was a great wand maker, but he was a law-abiding citizen, and the law forbade everyone from having more than one wand. He would have to go to Knockturn Alley for the wand.</p><p>The apparition jump to Diagon Alley would be a big and tiring one, but Harry was confident he would be able to make it.</p><p>He had discussed a lot with Salazar what wand would best suit him. The Founder was not an expert in wand lore, but he knew how to manage himself in the topic.</p><p>Gathering the materials he needed, he focused his intent on the destination he wanted to appear in, and with a soft sound he disapparated.</p><p>Apparating in the middle of Diagon Alley, he quickly made his way to the goblin’s bank.</p><p>He approached an old looking goblin who was counting gold coins and asked.</p><p>“I’d like to speak with the Potter account manager, please.”</p><p>The goblin looked at the young boy for a few seconds and answered.</p><p>“And who would you be to make such request?”</p><p>Harry remembered he was under a glamour, but with a small cast by his wand the notice me not charm on his scar was dispelled. Making it visible through his hair, he said.</p><p>“The scar and my wand should be sufficient to you, right?”</p><p>The goblin nodded at seeing the scar and examined Harry’s wand. He quickly wrote a few lines on a small piece of parchment and sent it flying inside the bank.</p><p>“Mister Potter, Blordak here” He said, pointing at another goblin who was nearby “will lead you to the conference room. Ragnok, will see you shortly.</p><p>“Thank you” he replied and followed Blordak.</p><p>Harry waited almost fifteen minutes for Ragnok to arrive. When the goblin finally appeared, he was tired of waiting, but put on his best smile and said.</p><p>“Mister Ragnok, thank you for seeing me. We have much to discuss today.”</p><p>“Mister Potter, I do believe we have.” The knowing expression in the goblin’s face made Harry wonder if he already knew why he was here. Sitting down, the Goblin asked, “I presume you’re here to take an inheritance test?”</p><p>“I am indeed” was Harry’s response.</p><p>“Very well” said the goblin, a small stone, a piece of parchment and a quill appearing in between both. “If you can please give me your hand, the sone needs a few drops of blood to work.”</p><p>Harry already knew that would be necessary, so he offered his hand to the account manager. The goblin took it, and with one of his long nails made a small cut on Harry’s palm. A few drops of blood reached the stone, who immediately started glowing. The quill, who was obviously enchanted, started to write in the parchment.</p><p>While harry performed a quick healing spell for the cut in his hand, the goblin looked at the parchment.</p><p>“Oh my” he said, “isn’t this interesting?”</p><p>Curious about Ragnok’s reaction, he read what the quill had written.</p><p>
  <em>Harry Potter</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Age:14</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Status: emancipated</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Lineage:</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Potter family: Heir/Lord</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Slytherin family: Possible Heir(?)</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Gaunt family: Heir/Lord, right of conquest</em>
</p><p>Harry was stunned. <em>‘Right of conquest? What did that mean?’</em></p><p>He asked the Goblin, which was quick in his reply.</p><p>“The right of conquest is an accident law defining that if you were to end a family’s line during a fight, leaving no direct descendants alive, and with no intention to cause harm to said family, you would inherit it’s Lordship by right of conquest.”</p><p>“So, I’m now the Lord of both Potter and Gaunt families?” He asked.</p><p>“The test says so. You are also a possible heir to the Slytherin family. This usually means there’s some sort of test to be fulfilled or a proof of some kind you have to give in order to claim the actual lordship. Your mother, Lily Potter, was also a possible heir of Slytherin, but she never explored the subject much.”</p><p><em>‘A test? Salazar never mentioned any kind of test’</em> he wondered. He would have a conversation with the founder later.</p><p>“My mom? How is that possible? She was a Muggleborn.”</p><p>“All Muggleborns are descendants of a wizard. Two pure Muggles can’t create a wizard, so your mother needed to have a wizard back in her family tree. That wizard was, from what we can see, a descendant from Salazar Slytherin, meaning both of you have Slytherin blood in your veins. Don’t worry Mister Potter, a lot of wizards have been possible heirs for the four founders throughout history, but no one was ever able to claim the lordship. The Dark Lord actually used his status as a possible heir to Slytherin to convince his followers of his heritage.”</p><p>“Th- this is a lot to think about, Ragnok, thank you for the explanation.”</p><p>“It’s my job to inform my clients of such matters, Lord Potter.”</p><p>Harry couldn’t help but notice the change in his tittle.</p><p>“The Lordship rings, I was told that would be dealt with at Gringotts as well?”</p><p>“That will be handled right away.” Informed the goblin, the coat of arms for both the House Potter and Gaunt appearing in front of the goblin. “Please put your hand over each crest, the family magic will determine you to be worth of the Lordship. Don’t worry, normally this is just a formality as it’s very rare that one should be rejected.”</p><p>Harry placed his hand first in the Potter coat of arms. It was all in red and gold tones, with a griffin on top. In the middle there were three flowers, something which Harry found very appropriate, with her mother being named after one.</p><p>After a few seconds with his hand placed on the golden object, he felt a warmth in his hand, as a golden ring materialized in his ring finger. The ring was all gold with a big Rubi on top, and a small version of the crest inscribed in the stone.</p><p>Once that was done, he placed his hand in the Gaunt crest. This one was green and yellow. Harry thought it kind of ugly, but he didn’t comment.</p><p>A few seconds later, another ring appeared in his hand, this one with an emerald and the Gaunt crest inscribed. He noticed the precious stone was way smaller than the Rubi on the Potter ring, and this was made of silver. He pointed that out to Ragnok who provided him with an explanation.</p><p>“Only the rings from one of the seven oldest houses are made in gold, all the others are silver with the exception of minor houses, those who are less than three generations old, who are made of bronze.”</p><p>Harry thanked the goblin for the explanation and they proceeded to spend some time discussing the business investments from both houses. While the Potters were immensely rich, with a lot of investments, properties and gold, the Gaunts were poor, only owning a small shack on the outskirts of a small muggle town called Little Hangleton.</p><p>Making a mental note to eventually go and investigate said shack, thinking that with it being the home of Voldemort’s ancestors, it could contain something important, he finished his business with Ragnok, leaving a lot of orders for future and present investments and taking with him piles of documents about the Potter finances to study later. Putting them all in his bag, which was charmed with an expansion charm, he went to the Potter vault.</p><p>These one was very different from his own trust vault, with way more than just piles of gold. He found precious stones, pieces of jewelry, books, and two small envelops with is name on it. Guessing what they were, he quickly put them in his bag to read when he had more privacy. The family ring gave him information about every piece of jewelry in the vault as well as the books in it, telling which subjects they spoke about and what enchantments were in each ring, necklace and bracelet.</p><p>Choosing a few to take to the chamber, we quickly made his way out of the bank and into Knockturn Alley.</p><p>---------</p><p>With his glamour giving him an older look, Harry entered Borgin and Burkes. He had never been there, but from what some of his classmates had said, this was the shop for illegal objects.</p><p>“Hello“ said Borgin “how can I help you today?”</p><p>Harry knew it had to be Borgin, as Burke had been killed more than fifteen years ago, probably at the hands of Voldemort.</p><p>“I’m looking for a new wand, I’ve heard I can obtain one here” said Harry.</p><p>Borgin didn’t like it. “I don’t know who told you such things, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave my store, please.”</p><p>Thinking fast, knowing he had one chance of making it work, Harry decided to take a risk.</p><p>“Lord Malfoy spoke very highly of you, Mister Borgin. I hope that faith is not misplaced. Are you sure you want me to leave your store?”</p><p>The shop owner’s eyes widened a little, the implicit threat very noticeable.</p><p>“Well- I- of course not, if Lord Malfoy sent you here, I will of course take care of whatever needs you have, sir” What had happened to his business partner was still very present on his mind.</p><p>“Great. Now, as I said before, I require a wand. But, of course, it’s not any sort of wand. I have a few special ingredients that I want you use when crafting the wand, will that be possible?”</p><p>“I think so” answered Borgin “special requests are, of course, more expensive, but if it is possible, we will take care of that.”</p><p>“I’ll pay whatever is needed” Said Harry, he had grabbed a lot of gold from his vault specially for this situation.</p><p>Harry explained what his requirements for the wand were, and Borgin told him it would take a few hours. While he waited, harry went to the main street of Diagon Alley for a walk.</p><p>---------</p><p>
  <strong>AN: So, I can see that my last AN confused a few people.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>This story is, and always has been, a Harry/Fleur/Daphne story. I was jokingly answering a review where it was claimed that this story was secretly a Daphne/Salazar story.  The “necrophiliac” comes from the fact that Salazar is 1000 years old and, in a sort of way, dead.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Brasheril_holmestalentsmaster: Thank you for your two comments. They really were interesting to read, a lot of good points made there. Really appreciate the feedback.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>And for those who are wondering if Harry is now really overpowered against the other champions, he had a big demonstration of power, and it surprised a lot of the people watching, but other things may make up for the power difference, experience being one of them. Oh, and Hubris. That tends to screw a lot of the most powerful people.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Biggest chapter yet, with a lot of new elements being added. Hope you enjoy it.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Thank you for the follows and reviews. Keep them coming.</strong>
</p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter 14</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Harry walked inside Twilfitt and Tatting’s, a high-class clothing store in Diagon Alley. The shop owner looked at him with a lot of distrust, as this shop had incredibly high prices and was very selective in his clientele. After flashing two Lordship rings at the owner, and with one of them being the Potter ring, the man running the store was suddenly much nicer.</p><p>Harry decided to buy formal and informal robes, all in the highest quality materials, and with adjustment charms to face his puberty growth. He made sure that every single piece of clothing contained both the Potter and Gaunt symbol, as he would now be recognized as the Lord of the two houses. He also bought a special suit for the coming Yule ball at Hogwarts, a courtesy of the Triwizard Tournament. He had informed himself about the event, learning that he would require a date and he would open the dance floor along with other the champions.</p><p>The date part had the potential to cause him a problem, he couldn’t invite Daphne, as he was sure that their pictures would end up in the newspaper and Daphne’s father couldn’t even dream of something like that. He thought Fleur would be a good choice, but he didn’t know how Daphne would react, and he was sure it would not be nice. Tracey was a safe option, but she had a life of her own and Harry couldn’t expect she would just ditch her date to go with him. He had even considered Blaise, as homosexuality didn’t have a bad connotation in the wizarding world, but he didn’t want to go there.</p><p>So, the suit was ordered, and his measures were taken, the material decided, but the color, as he wanted to match is date’s dress, stayed in standby. He would have to owl the store later informing them of any developments.</p><p>After spending a few hundred Galleons in the clothing store, and with a promise from the owner that his cloths would be deliver via owl-express in the days, he made his way to the fourth store of his visit.</p><p>Flourish and blotts was a very old store, but the outer look deceived the costumer. Inside, the book shop was gigantic, with thousands upon thousands of books to purchase on the most variating topics. Harry wondered around for quite some time, his thirst for knowledge going wild. He ordered dozens of books, most of them in transfiguration and combat magic. He ordered two on rituals as well, noticing that the choice was very limited, with rituals being so associated with dark magic. As he was heading to the counter to pay for the books, he noticed a name in the children section that caught his attention.</p><p>Harry Potter and the Griffins</p><p>Harry Potter and in the Space Adventure</p><p>Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows</p><p>And dozens more.</p><p>Curious, he picked up a few a flipped through the pages. One detailed his supposed adventure with a pride of griffins. Other, detailed his adventure when he decided to fly his broom up in into space. A third one was a sort of a crossover with another children story, detailing how Harry gathered three objects, the Deathly Hallows and became something called the Master of Death.</p><p>Harry laughed at the creativity, for sure. He almost wished that his life had been so filled with adventures. He was sure that <em>‘Harry Potter and the Dursley Abuse’</em> was not as catchy as the others. Then, the thought that publishers were making money using his name made him angry, and he decided to investigate a little more into wizard’s copyright law. Adding a single book on the subject to the pile, he payed for books, shrunk them, put them all in one pocket and left the store. As he went to an ice cream lunch at Florean Fortescue’s shop, he thought to himself that it was, indeed, being a very productive day.</p><p>---------</p><p>Returning to Borgin and Burkes, Harry was received by and enthusiastic and amazed Borgin.</p><p>“The wand you wanted… It’s done. And I dare to say it is the most wonderful wand made by our wand maker. I have to tell you, the man was almost fainting from enthusiasm when he was able to finish it. Thestral tail hair is never used in wand due to his inability to connect with the woods, destroying them.” The man opened a box containing a wand inside “But with the Basilisk hide covering the nucleus, the connection was made without a single problem.”</p><p>“I present to you… The Ebony and Thestral hair wand, with a cover of basilisk skin. One of the finest wand’s in the world.”</p><p>Harry smiled and as he grabbed it, a feeling of warmth filled his entire body. He might connect to this one better than his original wand, he thought.</p><p>The idea of using Thestral hair had come from Salazar. He had the inspiration from a wand that Godric Gryffindor had spent decades searching for. It was called the Elder wand, and it was the only known wand made of Thestral hair. Salazar wasn’t sure it even existed, as it was just a myth in his time and was now a tale for children, but it was said to be the most powerful wand in the world. Salazar had also come up with using the Basilisk skin to stabilize the core. Thestrals had an unstable magic, due to their connection with Death, and had a tendency to blew up the wood used in wand. So the skin worked as intermediary between the hair and the wood. Ebony was a wood that suited transfiguration and combative magic the best, exactly what Harry needed the wand for. </p><p>Deciding he had to try it in the room of requirement as soon as possible, he asked Borgin how much the price was.</p><p>“Well, our wand maker would give it to you for free, just the opportunity to brag about making such a wand is sufficient for him, but unfortunately for you, young man, I have a business to run. The wand will be five hundred Galleons.”</p><p>Harry knew he was being robbed, and that no one would ever pay such a high amount for a wand, even if it was made of pure gold. But he wanted to establish a good commercial relation with Borgin, he didn’t know when the old man would be useful, so he payed the amount and added a few dozen galleons to the mix, saying.</p><p>“I know silence isn’t cheap. But I expect your highest discretion with this purchase. No one will ever know I was here or what I bought. Understood?”</p><p>“Of course, my lips are sealed.” Answered Borgin, his eyes looking at the gold with and avid look. “Have a good day.”</p><p>Harry walked out of the store with one wand in each holster. The Phoenix wand in his right arm and the Thestral wand on his left. With all his objectives for the day fulfilled, he apparated into the chamber.</p><p>---------</p><p>Harry was almost obsessively looking at the Marauders map. Every available moment he had, he was searching for a name. A name that wasn’t supposed to be at Hogwarts. A name that he knew, if he found, could change the life of many people in the wizarding world. A name he had seen before but was not equipped to deal with at the time.</p><p>His training with Salazar had once again picked up the pace, with the focus now being on dueling and combat magic. Harry could feel the progress being made by the day, his casting quicker and more powerful, and his repertoire of spells increasing at an incredible rate.</p><p>More than one month had passed since he had become a student of Salazar’s, and he could feel one major change unrelated to magic that had come from Salazar’s guidance. His critical thinking had improved a lot, he now felt he considered a lot more variables than before, the understanding of his opponent was now better, and his strategies more elaborate.</p><p>Busy between the time spent learning under Salazar and the training he did in Rowena’s Room, Harry almost didn’t notice that the day of his date with Daphne had arrive. This was a big moment, the nerves he felt were a prove of that. The clothes he bought in his visit to Diagon Alley had arrive a few days before. He had tried them out and even asked Salazar for advice.</p><p>That had turned out to be a bad plan, as the founder took the chance to make fun of him in every way he could think of. The only suit approved had been the one in Slytherin colors, a deep green with silver lining. That ended being the one Harry opted to go with, seeing the house colors as a safe zone.</p><p>He looked himself in the mirror one more time, fixing a small strand of hair that had gone loose. Taking a few deep breaths, he said his goodbyes to Salazar and made his way to the come and go room.</p><p>Harry had wanted to pick up Daphne at the Slytherin dungeons, but she had insisted that they meet in front of the room, as she didn’t want them to be seen together all dressed up. He didn’t like it, but understood it was necessary for her own safety.</p><p>The issue of her father was something he often thought about, but no simple solution had presented herself. He’d thought that killing him was the easiest choice, it wasn’t like the man didn’t deserved it. He had been one of the elite fighters on Voldemort’s side in the war, one of his inner circle members. That group had committed unspeakable atrocities killing, robing and raping people. But it was still her father, and she loved him.</p><p>Pushing those thoughts to the back of his mind, Harry focused on the task ahead. He wanted the room to look perfect for Daphne, so he pictured in his head an image he had seen a few times. A place he was told numerous times was a romantic scenery.</p><p>Pacing three times back and forth, he watched as the door materialized in front of him.</p><p>Entering the room, the cold air filled his lungs, as the scenario was in open air. A simple thought fixed that, as the room’s temperature increased to his demands. Happy with the place, he summoned for Dobby.</p><p>He had, after inviting Daphne to the date, asked Dobby if he could provide the food for the date. The elf was incredibly happy and had agreed instantaneously.</p><p>“Master Harry calls?” asked the small elf.</p><p>“Dobby, thank you for coming. I assume the food is ready?”</p><p>“Yes, Master Harry. Everything is ready for yours date with miss Daphy.”</p><p>The elf had taken a liking to calling her Daphy. Harry didn’t oppose, as he found he liked the nickname. But he had asked Dobby to refrain from calling her that in front of the girl, as she might not like it.</p><p>“Thank you, Dobby. A few minutes after she arrives and we sit, start with the appetizers.”</p><p>“Don’t worry, Master Harry. Dobby will serve the perfect dinner.”</p><p>Harry could see the elf was just happy to be able to help him. That did put a smile on his face. Siting down to wait, he remembered one advice from Salazar and conjured a bouquet of flowers.</p><p>---------</p><p>Daphne was nervous. The date with Harry had finally arrived, and she had spent the entire day closed in her room with Tracey and Astoria as she got ready. She had asked her mother to send her a few dresses she had at home, with the excuse she wanted to try a few in preparation for the Yule Ball. Elizabeth Greengrass had been extremely helpful, sending Daphne almost half of her wardrobe. The clothes came in with the question on who was the lucky man that would take her, and the express wishes for that man to be an upstanding pureblood, a clear indication of her father desires, but she had simply answered she didn’t had a date yet.</p><p>She had chosen a light blue dress, simple but elegant, who really highlighted the curves in her body that had already formed. She liked how the silk embraced her body. Tracey had approved quickly, but Astoria had protested for a while, wanting Daphne to go for a white dress. But after seeing the final result, even her sister had been forced to admit the choice had been well done.</p><p>Asking Tracey to put her under strong notice-me-not charm in order to avoid the crow of people in the common room, she slowly made her way to the seventh floor, following the instructions given by Harry.</p><p>Finding the portrait of a man teaching trolls how to do ballet after a few minutes searching, she opened the door on the other side of the hall.</p><p>What she found inside made her jaw drop.</p><p>They were high up in the air, she guessed a few hundred yards. There was a metallic structure she immediately found familiar. They were siting on a small terrace, a few square yards total. There was a table in the middle with a handsome young man in a Slytherin colored suit waiting by, powerful green eyes staring at her. She gave him a few more seconds to get over the shock of seeing her all dressed up.</p><p>While she waited for Harry to regain control of his thoughts, she watched the view.</p><p>She could see a beautiful city on the bottom, all lighted up for miles on end. She noticed the gardens on the ground. Perfectly arranged, with beautiful flowers decorating it. She  had never been to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, but she could recognized the structure easily, being one of the most known monuments in the world. How Harry had thought of such a place for their date amazed her and knowing about his past made her wonder how he even knew about the place.</p><p>She had to admit to herself that she loved it. Harry had really come through with his promises.</p><p>Her thoughts were interrupted by his voice.</p><p>“Hello Daphne, welcome to the Eiffel Tower. Hope you’re enjoying the view.”</p><p>She got closer to the handrail to admire the lights better.</p><p>“It’s perfect” she murmured, “couldn’t have done a better job with the location.”</p><p>“I’m glad you like it.” He said, getting closer and putting one hand on her back.</p><p>They stayed in silence for a few minutes, simply enjoying the view and each other’s company.</p><p>Harry then lead her to the table, behaving like a perfect gentleman, helping her sit. She was impressed by his manner, not expecting such a behavior from a fourteen year’s old.</p><p>The appetizers immediately appeared in front of them. A small piece of paper appeared with the food, with few words written on it.</p><p>
  <em>‘Creamy lemon and butter scallops.’</em>
</p><p>She tasted one and it was amazing. The bitterness from the lemon mixed up perfectly with the butter and the salty taste of the scallops.</p><p>They small talked a little bit, most about Daphne’s classes in Hogwarts and the progress she had made.</p><p>Without Harry’s shadow, she had become the best student in Slytherin by far, her only competition in the school being Hermione Granger.  Daphne enjoyed learning, her best classes being charms. She was not the most powerful witch in terms of raw power, no were near Harry’s power, but her strength was finesse, performing her spells in a perfect and quick way, with an incredible precision.</p><p>Harry spoke a little about a few spells he had learned under Salazar, enjoying her reaction when he mentioned one she didn’t know about. Those cases were rare, but he managed a few. Daphne made him promise to teach her those spells, her thirst for knowledge quite visible.</p><p>The main course soon arrived, with the respective description of the place.</p><p>‘<em>Medium rare sirloin stake and mushrooms stuffed with cheese and spinach.’</em></p><p>Once again, the quality of the food surprised her, at the same time as Harry was thanking the skies for having Dobby in his life. The excitable elf really knew how to cook.</p><p>They were almost finished with their food when Daphne decided to ask the question that had been in everyone’s mind since Harry had disappeared in Halloween.</p><p>“Harry, can I ask you a question? And please, feel free to not answer it if you don’t want to.”</p><p>“Who is teaching me?” he guessed.</p><p>“Yes. I won’t tell everybody, I promise, but all the mystery around the situation is enervating.”</p><p>He chucked a little and proceeded to say.</p><p>“Daphne, I would really like to tell you. But it’s not my secret to tell. I will ask my mentor if  I can share the secret, but I doubt he will agree. If he does, I bet he will demand a lot in return. And I won’t betray is trust by telling you without his permission. I really hope you understand it.”</p><p>“Demand a lot in return? What do you mean by that?”</p><p>“My guess is probably an unbreakable vow.”</p><p>The color left her face, only her makeup preventing her from looking pale.</p><p>She knew about unbreakable vows. They were rare due to the fact that breaking one would mean death, and they were sometimes very subjective to interpretation. Magic did her own interpretation of the situation, and being sentient, she could decide in a way that would end up killing a wizard.</p><p>“Th- That really is a lot to ask.” It was all she could say.</p><p>“I know, and I don’t want to put you through it. I can tell you one other secret to make it up to you.”</p><p>Her curiosity sparked up again, and she asked, “What secret?”</p><p>Getting his hand in the middle of the two, Harry closed his eyes for a split second and a golden ring sparked in his finger.</p><p>“The Lordship ring for the house Potter? But how did you get it? You need to be seventeen to become a Lord!”</p><p>“Remember how I also needed to be seventeen to enter this stupid tournament? Well, entering anyway made me emancipated, so I was able to claim the lordship sooner.”</p><p>She grabbed his hand, inspecting the ring and caressing the stone. “It’s beautiful.”</p><p>She was so focused on the ring that she didn’t noticed how close their heads had become, only a few inches keeping them apart. She looked up, locking on the green eyes staring back at her. For a few seconds, blue staring at green and green staring at blue. The tension in the air was palpable, nerves filling both teens. Daphne leaned slightly closer, but to her great surprise, Harry moved away.</p><p>Red with embarrassment, she sit back down with her perfect composure, but her head furiously thinking miles an hour. ‘<em>What had happened there?</em>’ </p><p>They slowly returned to their food, both to embarrassed to speak.</p><p>As desert came up, a perfect chocolate suflê, they both noticed that it was only one place in the middle of the table, with two spoons. Being forced to share made both students even more awkward around each other. They finished and Daphne quickly made a few excuses of tiredness and after a few weird moments of goodbye, she made her way to the Slytherin dungeons. She didn’t even bothered with the notice-me-not charm, as it was late and everyone was probably in bed. As she walked to the dungeons, she asked herself how everything had gone so wrong.</p><p>---------</p><p>As soon as Daphne left the come and go room, Harry leaned against a wall. Why had he done that? Why had he run away from her at the last possible second?</p><p>Just a few seconds later, Dobby apparated right in front of him. For once, the elf didn’t look happy.</p><p>“Master Harry, why did you do that? Misses like to be kissed during dinner, but you didn’t do it. Why?”</p><p>“I don’t know Dobby, it was a thing of the moment. I was so nervous, my heart was pounding on my chest, and all I could think was what would happen if she didn’t like it.”</p><p>“Master Harry is being dumb” told him the elf, looking stern for the first time Harry could remember. “You should kiss miss Daphy!”</p><p>Harry looked at the eyes of the elf for a few seconds. He whispered a quick “Thank you for the dinner Dobby” and made his way out of the room, running.</p><p>---------</p><p>Daphne was almost arriving to the common room. Her eyes swollen from the tears wanting to come out of her eyes. She was holding them until the safety of her room, not wanting her classmates to watch her cry.</p><p>She was just a few yards from the door when an invisible force hit her, pushing her against the wall. Worried about a possible attack, her hand immediately flew to her wand, but her arm was grabbed by an invisible hand. Feeling pressed against the wall by an invisible body, she felt a few moments of fear, until Harry came out from under his invisibility cloak.</p><p>“Harry, what are you- “</p><p>But before she could finish her question, his lips pressed hard against hers, and she soon melted into his warmth.</p><p>---------</p><p>
  <strong>AN: Finally! This was probably the hardest chapter to write so far. Give me ten more dragons please. Writing a teenager date was hard, but fun. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Thank you to my Beta Arthur for his work on editing this chapter.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Thank you for the follows and reviews. Keep them coming.</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Chapter 15</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Harry sat in the middle of the chamber of secrets with the marauders map in his lap, carelessly watching it as he thought the night’s events through.</p>
<p>Their date had been going well, he had done a good job with the location, and Dobby’s food had been incredible. The conversation had been good, all until he showed her the ring. He opted for only showing the Potter ring as what he would do with the Gaunt Lordship was still undecided. And then they had come close, really close to kissing. And he had backed down. It still confused him why he had done such a thing, but there was no denying that it had been him.</p>
<p>The small lecture from the house elf had been enough to make him run after Daphne, catching her only a few dozen yards from the Slytherin dungeons. He had pressed her against the wall and kissed her.</p>
<p>Their slip after that had been even more awkward than before, with both teens not knowing what to say after Harry’s impulsive move. Harry had returned to the chamber and stood there, sat on the cold floor of the main chamber, thinking.</p>
<p>His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when he saw something on the map. Just outside the forbidden forest, the name of the one he had been searching for quite sometime appeared.</p>
<p>“Salazar!” He shouted “The time has come. He has showed up again.”</p>
<p>“What are you waiting for? Go out there and grab him. Don’t miss, my heir.” Salazar responded, a tone of grandeur on his voice</p>
<p>Harry had already grabbed his invisibility cloak and the Thestral wand and quickly made his ways to the school grounds. He walked inside the forest, always with an eye on the map. That was when he noticed something weird. Barty Crouch was close by as well and moving in the direction of his target.</p>
<p>Harry slowed down, put his invisible cloak on, and got closer to where the two man were now together. As he got closer, the form of Alastor Moody became cleared, which confused Harry. Why was Moody there? And why didn’t the map show him? And where was Barty Crouch?</p>
<p>Harry thought the map may be wrong, that something was messing up its enchantments. Then he remembered both Sirius and Remus words, that the map was never wrong.</p>
<p>That meant that Alastor Moddy was an imposter, and that imposter was Barty Crouch?</p>
<p>The other man, a very short one, with a face that would resemble a rat, talked nervously with the fake Alastor Moddy, as if giving him instructions.</p>
<p>The fake Moody was focused on the smaller man words, and because of that, his magical eye didn’t catch a Slytherin student under an invisibility cloak sneaking from behind them.</p>
<p>Harry stopped for one second, took a deep breath, pointed his wand at one of the men and a silent ‘Stupefy’ made his way to the shorter man. The overpowered deep red jet of light hit the man in the chest, Peter Pettigrew dropping to the ground, knocked out.</p>
<p>Harry couldn’t afford the Animagus to run away again, as another chance at capture him could never happen and he was the only ticket to get the aurors of Sirius back.</p>
<p>The fake Moody turned to Harry, his magical eye immediately spotting him even under his invisibility cloak. What followed was a mess of magic flowing between the two fighters.</p>
<p>Losing the element of surprise, Harry was now being forced to defend and dodge, as a lot of the curses being thrown against him were unknown to the young student. He held his ground, dodging the purple and yellow jets of light coming his way.</p>
<p><em>‘Crucio’ </em>yelled Barty Crouch, a jet of bright red light coming from his wand.</p>
<p>Knowing a normal shield would not stop the unforgivable, Harry conjured a small stone in the middle of the curse’s path. The stone was destroyed but absorbed the Cruciatus curse.</p>
<p>What Harry didn’t notice was the yellow light coming his way in another direction, his panic with the Cruciatus curse making him lose focus for a split second.</p>
<p>Knowing he couldn’t dodge it, he prepared himself from the pain the bone-breaking curse would inflict.</p>
<p>The bone-breaking curse hit Harry in his left arm, leaving it incapacitated. Fortunately, that didn’t prevent the boy from fighting, as his wand arm was the right one.</p>
<p>The pain from the broken arm was enormous, but Harry sucked it up and used that pain as a fuel to his rage. In quick succession he casted a spell chain, composed with a disarming spell, a banishing charm, and a binding curse.</p>
<p>Harry put a lot of his power behind each spell, making them travel faster and their effects increased. Barty Crouch was able to defend against the disarming spell, but he missed the banishing charm which hit him in the chest and sent him flying backwards. The biding curse missed the target, but that didn’t matter as the older man went flying against a tree and broke his back.</p>
<p>Harry slowly walked closer to the man, fury and rage burning in his eyes.</p>
<p>The man was throwing his arms around in pain, his legs completely useless.</p>
<p>Harry smiled at the sight, the pain still very present, and he yelled to the man.</p>
<p>“I didn’t want to do it, but you were the one that decided unforgivables were fair game.”</p>
<p>Harry saw the man eye shooting up to him in fear, and whispered.</p>
<p>
  <em>‘Crucio’</em>
</p>
<p>Barty Crouch screamed for a few seconds, until he passed out from the conjoined pain of breaking his spine and the Cruciatus curse.</p>
<p>Transfiguring both man into small marbles, Harry put both in his pocket and made his way to the chamber of secrets.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>Harry stood in the middle of the chamber of secrets, waiting for the men to wake up. He had mended his arm with a few healing spells he had learned for his apparition training, and asked Dobby to steal him a few pain-relieving potions from Madam Pomfrey. He had also discussed with Salazar about what to do with both men. Barty Crouch had already returned to his original look, and it surprised Harry not to find the older man he saw as one of the judges from the tournament but a younger version of him. Assuming it was is son, and seeing the dark mark on his arm, Harry understood he had just defeated a death eater. The man was dispensable to Harry, and he knew he could not allow him to go free.</p>
<p>The rat was a different matter, as he would need to turn him in to the aurors as prof of live. The man was the ticket to releasing Sirius and harry would not allow his godfather to be a target anymore.</p>
<p>Barty Crouch was the first to wake up, as Harry stunner to Pettigrew had been a powerful one, amplified by his wand.</p>
<p>“Barty, my friend” he said, jovially. “Thank you for gracing us with your presence. Tell me, what are you doing here at Hogwarts?”</p>
<p>“Potter” he spat “Do you really think I’m going to tell you anything?”</p>
<p>“I do, the amount of pain you have to go through before you tell me all I want to know depends on you.”</p>
<p>“You can torture me anyhow you want, I won’t tell you shit.”</p>
<p> “We will see.” Said Harry, before a jet of red light came out of his wand.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>Daphne sat very quiet in her room. Tracey and Astoria were looking at her with expectant looks on their faces. She knew she had to say something fast, or they would jump to conclusions.</p>
<p>Answering Tracey question about how the date went, she said.</p>
<p>“It was… good, I guess?”</p>
<p>“Good? Just good? He promised me it would be amazing!” Tracey had spoken to harry about the matter, giving her a few pointers.</p>
<p>“You spoke with him about it?” Said Daphne, angry.</p>
<p>“Of course I did! Harry has no previous experience with dates! He would probably imagine that room as the Hogwarts kitchen!” defended Tracey.</p>
<p>“What room? Imagined?” asked Astoria, unaware of the secret of the Come and go room, unlike the other two girls.</p>
<p>“Leave it Tori” She reprehended her sister. “I mean, yes, the date went great, we talked a lot, everything was going great, but then we had a moment and he… He backed down! I was so surprised and filled with awkwardness and shame that I couldn’t enjoy the rest of the date!”</p>
<p>“You just left?” her sister had already completely forgot about the room.</p>
<p>“No, I stayed till the end, but it wasn’t like before… And when his elf just gave us one desert to share… It was bad.”</p>
<p>“Poor Harry, he really tried, you know?” lamented tracey.</p>
<p>“What happened next?” Her sister was always interested in all the gossip she could get a hold of.</p>
<p>“We said goodbye and I left.” Daphne noticed the smile on her sister’s face dwindle. She had saved the best for the end. “And then, when I was about to arrive here at the Dungeons, he grabbed me, invisible, and then kissed me!” she finished, a smile now on her face.</p>
<p>“HE WHAT?” Astoria screamed. Her sister really lived these stories. Tracey was just smiling.</p>
<p>“Yes, he came after me, running, and caught me just before I arrived, and gave me a kiss.”</p>
<p>“Was it a small or a big one?”</p>
<p>“Don’t you want to know everything, little sister? That’s between me and Harry.</p>
<p>Astoria pouted, and both Tracey and Daphne broke out laughing.</p>
<p>The three girls completely unaware of what was happening so close to them, involving the boy they were speaking about.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>Harry was finished with Barty Crouch Junior. He was disgusted with himself. He had tortured the death eater for nearly one hour before the man started spilling his secrets. But the information was valuable, was the excuse he used to justify what he had done.</p>
<p>He had learned a lot, and most of it not good news at all. He knew Pettigrew had found Voldemort in Albania and did a ritual to sort of bring his master back, even if he was just a baby form, a shadow of himself. The thought of Voldemort being back, even with such debilities, scared Harry. The location for Voldemort’s whereabouts was under a Fidelius, which was unfortunate, but he would make do.</p>
<p>Crouch also told him the plan for the final task, where they would enchant the cup of the tournament in order to portkey Harry to a location where he would be a part of another ritual to bring Voldemort back, this time with a full grown body.</p>
<p>Harry now knew how and who had entered him in the tournament, with the man confessing that a simple confundus charm and submitting Harry under a fourth school had been enough to cheat the Goblet. <em>‘Fuck Dumbledore and his weak security’ </em>he thought.</p>
<p>Now, the question was what to do with the man.</p>
<p>“Barty, how did you escape Azkaban?” he asked.</p>
<p>“My mother saved me. She knew she was dying. She persuaded my father to rescue me as a last favor to her. He loved her as he had never loved me. He agreed. They came to visit me. They gave me a draft of Polyjuice Potion containing one of my mother's hairs. She took a draft of Polyjuice Potion containing one of my hairs. We took on each other's appearance. The dementors are blind. They sensed one healthy, one dying person entering Azkaban. They sensed one healthy, one dying person leaving it. My father smuggled me out, disguised as my mother, in case any prisoners were watching through their doors. My mother died a short while afterward in Azkaban. She was careful to drink Polyjuice Potion until the end. She was buried under my name and bearing my appearance. Everyone believed her to be me."</p>
<p>“What did your father do when you arrived home?” asked Harry, curious.</p>
<p>"Staged my mother's death. A quiet, private funeral. That grave is empty. The house-elf nursed me back to health. Then I had to be concealed. I had to be controlled. My father had to use several spells to subdue me.</p>
<p>He used the Imperius Curse in you, didn’t he?” realization showing up on harry’s face.</p>
<p>“Yes. I was under my father’s control. I manage to escape during the confusion in the World Cup, and quickly found my master.”</p>
<p>Harry was feeling sorry for the man, in a way. The love of a father for a son had been the cause for so much bad stuff happening.</p>
<p>“Thank you for your collaboration Barty” he said, “You’ve been really helpful.”</p>
<p>
  <em>‘Avada Kedavra’ </em>
</p>
<p>His voice was no more than a whisper, as Harry said the words that ended his parents life for the first time.</p>
<p>A green light came out of his Thestral core wand, and Barty Crouch Junior’s life came to an end.</p>
<p>“Dobby?” he called.</p>
<p>“Master Har- ?” The elf was stunned to see the scene in front of him.</p>
<p>“Dobby, I promise you these men are bad men. They both serve Voldemort, and they have killed a lot of people. Do you understand why I had to do this Dobby?”</p>
<p>The elf looked a bit scared, but happy at the same time.</p>
<p>“Thank you master Harry, for taking care of this dark men. What does master Harry need Dobby to do?”</p>
<p>“Thank you for understanding, Dobby” Harry really needed to give Dobby more credit. He had been the most loyal of friends since even before knowing Harry.</p>
<p>“Can you take care of this body? No one knows the man is alive, no one will know he disappeared. Just drop it somewhere no one will ever find it, in the middle of the ocean or something you find suitable.”</p>
<p>“Yes, master Harry, right away.” The small elf grabbed the dead body of Barty Crouch Junior and both disapparated.</p>
<p>Harry turned to Pettigrew and said.</p>
<p>
  <em>‘Renervate’</em>
</p>
<p>The rat faced man’s eyes shot open, taking a big breath until he noticed Harry standing in front of him.</p>
<p>“Ha- Harry! What are you doing here? Why am I here?” he asked, nervous.</p>
<p>“Save me the act Peter, we both know why you’re here. I’m going to deliver you to the aurors to get Sirius cleared.”</p>
<p>“The aurors? No, please Harry! They’ll put me in Azkaban, I’ll be tortured by dementors for the rest of my life!” The man was now struggling with the bindings around his body.</p>
<p>“You don’t have the right to ask me for anything, Peter. You allowed my parents to be killed, you were their secret keeper. You then spent twelve years hiding, instead of atoning for your mistakes. And again, at the end of the last school year when you escaped, you didn’t have to rejoin Voldemort.” The rat cringed when he heard the name. “But you did, so anything you might ask or begged from me will be denied.”</p>
<p>“But certainly your parents…”</p>
<p>“Shut up about my parents! You are the reason they are dead! James and Sirius were your best friends and you betrayed them!” Harry’s anger was rising once again.</p>
<p>“I know!” said Pettigrew, tears rolling down his eyes “For a time, they meant the world to me! But the power of the dark lord is beyond everyone else. So, when Dumbledore suggested that I became the secret keeper instead of Sirius, the opportunity to be safe from his wrath was too good to pass on.”</p>
<p>For a second it was Harry’s time to stutter. Dumbledore was behind the plan? He knew Sirius was innocent. Harry wanted to kill the old man.</p>
<p>“Voldemort is not the only strong force out there. And due to that decision, Peter, your life as a free and sane person will end.”</p>
<p>
  <em>‘Obliviate’ </em>
</p>
<p>Harry had never performed the memory charm before, but he had studied it well enough. He erased the memories from their most recent encounter and stunned the man again. Conjuring a small cage, he transfigured the man into a rat, his favorite animal, and put him inside.</p>
<p>He then apparated in Reading, knocking on the door of the one person he knew would give Sirius a chance of a fair trial.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>Dumbledore was pacing back and forth in the entrance hall of Hogwarts. He was worried. Like a few times before, the wards had given him a warning of Peter Pettigrew entering the school grounds. But this time he didn’t left, something which worried Dumbledore. He knew Peter was there to meet with Barty Crouch Junior, who was posing as an imposter. Dumbledore knew about it since the moment the man set foot in Hogwarts, as the Polyjuice potion could fool a person, but not magic. His magical signature didn’t change to match Moody’s, so Dumbledore knew right away. But he allowed it to happen, as he wanted to understand what Voldemort’s plan was. But with Pettigrew now on the lose inside the castle, he feared for the safety of his students, not knowing the man’s intentions. He kept searching the grounds but found no clue of the Animagus.</p>
<p>Regretting not having killed the man when he had the chance, he made his way back to his office.</p>
<p>In his desk was a letter he knew all too well. Another summon for a Wizengamot meeting.</p>
<p>Opening the letter, he noticed that an emergency meeting had been called my Madam Bones, the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, for the next day, with the reason for such a summon being that a great wrong had to be undone.</p>
<p>A bad feeling washed over Dumbledore, as he didn’t believe in coincidences. Something must have happen to Pettigrew in Hogwarts that lead to Amelia Bones making an attempt to clear Sirius. And that was something that Dumbledore could not afford.</p>
<p>He summoned Severus, and both men discussed the matter all night long.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>
  <strong>AN: Chapter 15 is now done, with a lot of important things happening.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>For those who are going to complain about Harry’s use of unforgivables, don’t forget this is a different Harry, with a different mindset. He has one goal, survive, and he will do what it takes, even killing. </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>The date on the previous chapter gathered some reaction, with people enjoying and others don’t. Writing romance for 14 years old is hard, I don’t remember much of what dating was back then, not that I dated when I was that age, to busy reading Harry Potter. But I try my best from what I know of what 14 years old are. And I know that drama, awkwardness and cringing are very much present. </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Hope you enjoyed the first serious action against Voldemort.</strong>
</p>
<p><strong>Thank you for the follows and the reviews. Keep them coming. I can assure you that I read them all and think a lot about them, even if I don’t answer directly</strong>.</p>
<p>
  <strong>And thanks to my beta Arthur, for his input on the chapter. I’m also looking for a second beta to prof-read the chapter and to discuss ideas with me and Arthur for the story. Any volunteers, send me a PM.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Happy new year everybody! May it be better than 2020!</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Chapter 16</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Harry apparated back at Hogwarts. He was exhausted. The day had been madness. The arrangements for his date with Daphne, then the actual date and the roller-coaster of emotions that had been. Then, he had found Pettigrew’s name on the map. Defeated him and Crouch. Then all the questioning. Going to Amelia Bones’ house and convince her about the story behind the Sirius and Pettigrew story. That had been a hard task, but he managed. He found he actually liked the head of the DMLE. She was a tough and stern woman, but she had treated him fairly and listened to what he had to say, not dismissing him as just a kid. He wondered how the night had so many hours. All he wanted was to lay down for a few hours, but he still had one small task to do. Taking a sip of a pepper up potion, knowing he would be going to sleep soon, he made his way to the second floor, and entered the defense professor’s office. Using the instructions provided by Barty Crouch Junior, he opened the seven-lock trunk-vault in the office, finding the real Alastor Moody stunned at the bottom of the trunk. Carefully levitating the former auror out of the trunk, he assured that was a safe distance between him and the old man, not knowing how he would react to being rennervated.</p>
<p>It was a good choice, because as soon as the spell hit him, the former auror started throwing his arms around, trying to fight of someone who was not there.</p>
<p>“Mister Moody?” carefully asked Harry.</p>
<p>“Who are you? Where am I? And where is that little shit Crouch?”</p>
<p>“You’re in Hogwarts, sir. My name is Harry Potter, and to answer that last question, Crouch has been posing as you for the last two months. But he has been recently dealt with, you don’t have to worry about him anymore.”</p>
<p>With all his years of experience as an auror and a leader, Moddy was good at reading people. So, he immediately knew what the boy meant by dealt with. His body language was quite telling of what he felt about the matter.</p>
<p>“Harry Potter? Funny it was you rescuing me.” Said Moody. Harry wondered what was so funny about the situation. “I guess I owe you a thank you. And I don’t do that often, so consider yourself lucky.”</p>
<p>“Why is it funny, sir?”</p>
<p>“You saved me, boy. You don’t have to call me sir. Just call me Moody. But what I find funny is, I don’t know if you knew it, but I was friends with your parents. Your father more than your mother, but she was a great witch as well. And I remember very well speaking with James about you and how to protect you. You were just a baby. Now, I find myself being rescued by that same baby. Your father would be proud of you, boy.”</p>
<p>Harry’s chest filled with a warm feeling. His father would be proud?</p>
<p>“Thank you, Moody. Thank you for telling me that.” Harry liked the man. He was a bit rude, and his reputation as crazy preceded him, but Harry found him to be nicer than he thought. Moddy could become a valuable ally, he thought, if only he was able to get the man away from Dumbledore’s influence.</p>
<p>“How did you end up in such a situation, if I may ask?”</p>
<p>“That bastard caught me from the back while that rat Pettigrew was distracting me. I was so surprised to find he was even alive that he caught me off guard. You think a man is dead for more than thirteen years and he just shows up at your front door? It would confuse anyone.”</p>
<p>“You met Pettigrew? So, you know Sirius is innocent?” he asked, that was important. The Wizengamot meeting would be on the next day, and Harry knew Moddy’s word carried a lot of weight.</p>
<p>“I met the man, yes. And I assume he was the real spy, as he was working with Barty’s son. But that doesn’t mean Sirius is innocent, he was still the secret keeper.”</p>
<p>“Actually, he wasn’t” corrected Harry “Dumbledore make my father change secret keeper at the last moment, choosing Pettigrew instead of Sirius. “</p>
<p>“Black had nothing to do with that mess? Interesting, if what you’re saying is true.”</p>
<p>“It is. Go to the Wizengamot session tomorrow if you can Moody, you’ll see that all I said is true, and that Dumbledore was behind all of it. The choice of the secret keeper and sending Sirius to Azkaban without a trial.”</p>
<p>“You make some serious accusations against a great wizard, boy. And I’ve known Albus for a long time, that doesn’t seem something he would do. But I supposed I owe it to your father and to you, as my rescuer, to give it a chance. I’ll be there boy. Now I think I should go to the infirmary. Being stunned in a box for so long can mess you up.”</p>
<p>Harry watched as the old former auror left the office and the classroom. He had done a good job, even better than he expected.</p>
<p>After that he delivered a letter to Hedwig with a small package that two other owls were happy to carry and sent them in an express delivery.</p>
<p>He went to the chamber and finally rested his head on a pillow.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>The Hogwarts students and staff woke up to another day, not knowing that in a few hours, a lot would change in Britain’s wizarding world.</p>
<p>Only four people on the castle knew that something big was about to happen.</p>
<p>Moody sat in the infirmary, waiting for Poppy to be finished with her care, bored out of his mind.</p>
<p>Snape was eating his breakfast with a bad mood on, wondering how that brat Potter had interfered with both Dumbledore’s and the Dark Lord’s plans. He also took the chance to curse the memory of his childhood nemesis.</p>
<p>Dumbledore sat quietly at his golden throne in the middle of the great hall, bracing himself for the political madness that would fell on him in a few hours.</p>
<p>Harry Potter was sleeping, trying to make up for his long night, deciding to skip his morning workout for one day, and having decided to go directly to the Wizengamot chamber. His presence was required, even though Madame Bones had assure his anonymity, as he was the one who had presented all the evidence to Amelia Bones, and unable to use the excuse of being a child, seeing that he was now a Lord of one of the Seven most important houses in the country. Not that he wanted to skip the meeting, as he wanted to be there for Sirius trial, even if his godfather would be judged in absence, as he was still an outlaw and was running from the aurors.</p>
<p>A murmur of excitement filled the student body as the owls arrived in the great hall to deliver the mail, and the few students that subscribed to the Daily Prophet read the first page.</p>
<p>
  <em>SURPRISE WIZENGAMOT MEETING TO OCCUR LATER TODAY, AT REQUEST OF AMELIA BONES</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>By Rita Skeeter</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Late last night, the head of the DMLE made a surprise call for an urgent meeting of the Wizengamot, with the argument that a great wrong has been committed and it should be corrected as soon as possible.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The meeting, who will take place today at 1 p.m. does not have an order of business, so we assumed that the only topic will be the one brought forward by the Regent Bones.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>More information on the topic on p.4</em>
</p>
<p>Yes, this was shaping up to be the most interesting day in the last few years in the politics of Wizarding Britain.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>
  <em>‘Sonorus’</em>
</p>
<p>“ORDER” the voice of Dumbledore was heard throughout the Wizengamot’s chamber. Albus Dumbledore, the Chief Warlock, presided the meeting. The irritating noise was something we was already used to, as joining so many powerful wizards with different views on the world in the same room was bound to result in confusion.</p>
<p>The noise died down a little bit with his request for order, but it took two more canon-blasting charms to really quiet down the crowd.</p>
<p>“Thank you, esteemed members of this honorable chamber, for your presence today, in an emergency meeting requested by our own head of the DMLE, Madame Bones.” Dumbledore’s brain cringed when he thought about the esteemed members of the Wizengamot.</p>
<p> He knew half of the crown would kill him if they could, and the other half worshipped the ground he walked in. There were a few families who were sort of indifferent to the political spectrum and sided with both sides when they found convenient, but the light and the dark faction, as he saw them, or the progressives and traditionalists, a more political accurate way of referring to them, were the vast majority of the chamber. Dumbledore’s side, the progressives, were in a small disadvantage against the traditionalists, as one of the effects of Voldemort’s slaughter was the extinction of a few of the families that supported Dumbledore. He would, often, bribe or negotiate with the few neutral families to achieve a majority. But that was a hard task, demanding a lot of effort from his part, as those families demanded something in return or were, simply speaking, too afraid to go against the traditionalists.</p>
<p>“Madame Bones, please. The floor is yours.” He informed, getting ready for what was to come.</p>
<p> “Thank you, Chief Warlock. Esteemed members of this chamber, visitors, ladies and gentlemen of the press. Upon new evidence and lot of effort by the aurors of the DMLE, we were able to discover that one of the people incarcerated thirteen years ago under the pretext of being a follower of Lord Voldemort,” the crowd shuddered when they heard the name of the Dark Lord.” a death eater, is, in fact, innocent of all the charges. Upon revisiting the personal file of this prisoner, a file that was sealed under the order of the Chief Warlock, we found as well that this person didn’t even got the change of a fair trial. “Dumbledore flinched in his chair, knowing the hammer was dropping on him, frantically thinking of an way out.” This man, this innocent man, was thrown in Azkaban, endured the horrors of the Dementors, for thirteen years without even a trial.” The crowd gasped, as they understood the meaning of the situation. “A fair trial is one of the more important rights in our country, and a law that helps a great deal in keeping our democracy alive. The man I’m talking about is Sirius Black.”</p>
<p>The crowd roared now, screams of “murderer” and “Blood-traitor” were heard all through the chamber.</p>
<p>Amelia Bones waited for the crowd to calm down, as Dumbledore did his job, calmly. She knew this was a heated topic, and she would find a lot of resistance from the wizards present. But she was convinced of the man’s innocence, as the evidence provided by her visitor the night before were very convincing.</p>
<p>“Thank you, Chief Warlock, now- “</p>
<p>“Hum-hum”</p>
<p>Amelia looked around, trying to find the origin of the familiar cough.</p>
<p>“Hum-hum”</p>
<p>She finally located the toad looking women, a pink shape near Minister Fudge.</p>
<p>“Undersecretary Umbridge?” She asked.</p>
<p>“If I may speak, Chief Warlock?”</p>
<p>Dumbledore’s eyes sparkled for a second, knowing what was to come and being able to appreciate what would follow.</p>
<p>“If madame Bones agrees with your rude interruption of her speech, of course.”</p>
<p>Amelia nodded, deciding to take that out of the way as soon as possible.</p>
<p>“Now, Black is a traitor, responsible for the deaths of the Potter family and thirteen others. They were muggles, but he still committed the crime. That’s not to say that the man is a fugitive. Why would an innocent man escape prison, and not fight his battles legally? And how many more crimes has he done under his master guidance? To even allow this trial to go forward is a disgrace. Will we be retaking trials for all the others in Azkaban as well?”</p>
<p>“Miss Umbridge, if you waited for me to present the evidence of Mister Black’s innocence before intervening, you’d know he is actually innocent of all the crimes you listed.</p>
<p>About Mister Black’s escape, I can only say that after thirteen years of being wrongly imprisoned, wouldn’t we all try to escape as well? And about retaking trials, as the personal files of the prisoner reflect, he didn’t receive any sort of trial. This will be his first one. If I can now procced to presenting evidence, I would ask my aurors to bring them.”</p>
<p>“As mister black is not here to defend himself due to his status as a fugitive, he will be trialed in absence. The roll of defense lawyer fall’s on you Madame Bones.”</p>
<p>“Of course, “she said, the confidence in her voice was palpable “Auror Scrimgeour, please bring evidence one.</p>
<p>The older man limped forward, bringing a small cage with a rat inside.</p>
<p>Murmurs from the crowd were heard, as a lot of them understood what that rat was. Dumbledore was baffled, wondering how Amelia Bones had been able to catch Pettigrew, knowing this as turning worse than he expected.</p>
<p>A quick Animagus reversal spell from her part, and the fragile cage soon exploded, with a small man appearing where the rat used to be. Pettigrew was still stunned as chains tied him to a chair in the middle of the chamber. An auror med-wizard quickly entered the room and with a small ‘<em>renervate</em>’ the man’s eyes opened wide.</p>
<p>“Wh- where an I?” He asked.</p>
<p>“Mister Pettigrew, you are in the Wizengamot halls, being a crucial witness in the trial of Mister Sirius Black. As you are not a Lord of a family, the use of Veritaserum is allowed. Auror Scrimgeour, please.”</p>
<p>The man showed a small vial, still sealed.</p>
<p>“Let the record show that vial number seven hundred and thirteen from the department of mystery’s archives will be now opened and given to the witness.</p>
<p>The seal opened with a loud sound, and three drops were given to Pettigrew.</p>
<p>The questioning had begun.</p>
<p>“What is your full name?”</p>
<p>“Peter Oscar Pettigrew.”</p>
<p>“How old are you?”</p>
<p>“Thirty-five years old.”</p>
<p>“What house were you in at Hogwarts?”</p>
<p>“Gryffindor.”</p>
<p>Those first few questions served to established that the witness was telling the truth.</p>
<p>“Were you one of the servants of Voldemort, mostly known as death eaters?”</p>
<p>“Yes”</p>
<p>“Were you the Potter Secret Keeper?”</p>
<p>“Yes”</p>
<p>“Was it you that told the secret of the Potter’s location to Voldemort? A betrayal that lead to their deaths?”</p>
<p>Tears rolled down Pettigrew’s eyes. “Yes”</p>
<p>“Is Sirius black innocent?”</p>
<p>“To the best of my knowledge, yes.”</p>
<p>“What happened when the two of you meet a few days after the death of the Potters?”</p>
<p>“I screamed at Sirius that he killed the Potters. Then I blew a gas storage. Gas is used by the Muggles to warm their water, and its highly explosive. The explosion killed a lot of Muggles. I cut off my finger, transformed into a rat, and left.”</p>
<p>“Where have you been since then?”</p>
<p>“I’ve lived with the Weasley’s for lot of years, and when I was found, I ran away.”</p>
<p>Pettigrew was now struggling, trying to stop talking, like he was afraid of something.</p>
<p>“What did you do after?”</p>
<p>“I- I- “ The man was suffocating, as the potion forced him to speak. “I went looking for- “ Blood came out of Pettigrew’s mouth, as the man bit his tongue off. His eyes were filled with fear, as he knew he had not stopped himself in time. He kept choking for a few more seconds and died in front of the Wizengamot.</p>
<p>The crowd was now roaring, people screaming as they saw the death of the man being interrogated. No one knew why that happened, as Veritaserum hadn’t killed anybody in recorded history.</p>
<p>The unspeakables were called, and they removed the dead man from the room, taking him to investigation in the department of Mysteries.</p>
<p>Both Amelia Bones and Albus Dumbledore, as well as Harry Potter were in shock. No one knew how that had happened. Dumbledore was the first to regain his composure, quickly silencing the crowd with a burst of his own magic. There was a reason he was considered the most powerful wizard of the twentieth century, and the Wizengamot chamber was reminded of that. The amount of power present in the wave that ran around the room was impressive and terrifying.</p>
<p>“Madame Bones, as the witness died during interrogation, his entire testimony is to be disregarded by the audience, as written in our laws. Do you have any more evidence to present?”</p>
<p>“Yes, Chief Warlock. I request for James Potter’s will to be opened and read here.”</p>
<p>Dumbledore couldn’t avoid a small smile, as the trial had suddenly turned is way. The will as an argument easy to rebuttal.</p>
<p>“James Potter Will is secret for a reason, as it could contain house secrets. I’m sure most of the Lords in this chamber will agree that revealing those secrets to the Wizengamot and opening this precedent is not a wise way to procced.”</p>
<p>A lot of agreeing voices were heard.</p>
<p>Amelia Bones was now in a tough stop. Her case had crumbled like dust in front of her.</p>
<p>“Why don’t you put me under Veritaserum?” A deep voice was heard all the way from the visitors’ section. The heads closer to the origin of the voice turned to face a fourteen-year-old. The aforementioned fourteen-year-old smiled, his green eyes lightened up.</p>
<p>Dumbledore, only now noticing Harry’s presence, was stunned. That didn’t sound like the voice of the boy he knew. And he was right, as only a few moments later, an invisibility cloak was pulled off, revealing a tall man, long black hair around his face. The man looked quite malnourished but was easily recognizable.</p>
<p>Sirius Black stood in the middle of the Wizengamot.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>
  <strong>AN: Please don’t hate me for pushing the second part of the trial for the next chapter.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Thanks to my beta Arthur for his input on this chapter.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Just a reminder that I’m looking for a second Beta that can prof-read his corrections and give some advice when I’m out of ideas.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Thank you for the follows and reviews. Keep them coming.</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Chapter 17</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Harry Potter sat through the entire trial, a smug smile on his face. He couldn’t turn the situation more in his favor even if he tried to. He had Amelia Bones, one of the highest-ranked witches in the country defending his case, he would get his godfather free, avenge the betrayal of his parents and deal an important blow to the headmaster’s reputation.</p>
<p>He watched as Pettigrew was interrogated, having already heard the answers the rat faced man was spewing out.</p>
<p>But like every other wizard in attendance, he wasn’t ready for what would happen next. He watched, completely stunned, as the man who had betrayed his parents died in front of the entire Wizengamot.</p>
<p>All his plans had crumbled to dust, and when Dumbledore refused to open his father’s will, he wanted to stand up and order it to be open using his power as Lord Potter. Two things prevented him from doing so. The first was the fact that he wanted to keep his lordship a secret for a little longer. He didn’t want the powers around him to know he was of age and already the Lord of his house. The second was that Dumbledore was, in a way, right about house secrets. Who knew what the will would contain?</p>
<p>So, he turned to Sirius and convinced the man to come forward. His godfather was reticent in doing so, believing he would just be arrested on the spot. But the insistence from his godson forced him to reveal himself.</p>
<p>“Why don’t you put me under Veritaserum?” he said in his loud deep voice, attracting the attention of everyone in the room. Heads turned, but not finding anyone in his seat, as he was under the invisibility cloak, they turned to Harry.</p>
<p>Sirius took the invisibility cloak and the gasps from the audience filled the room, for the tenth time in that session.</p>
<p>“Aurors, please arrest that fugitive!” The voice of Cornelius Fudge was heard across the entire room, but no auror made a single step in his direction.</p>
<p>“No one will do such a thing, Minister. Mister Black, I, Amelia Bones, Regent of house Bones and the head of the Department of Magical and Law Enforcement give you immunity from persecution for the duration of this trial, as your innocence will be determined.”</p>
<p>“Thank you, Madame Bones. Now, as I said before, I will submit myself to Veritaserum questioning, with the condition that no questions involving my house or his secrets to be done while under the effects of the potion.”</p>
<p>A knowing look was share between the lords present in the chamber. They all knew the importance of their own house secrets, not wanting to see them exposed.</p>
<p>“We accept your request, Mister Black. Please, take the chair.”</p>
<p>As Sirius sat on the chair in the middle of the chamber, Harry couldn’t avoid noticing that Amelia Bones made no effort to put chains on him. That alone, transmitted a sign that he wasn’t guilty nor dangerous.</p>
<p>Upon request, Auror Scrimgeour once again came forward, another small sealed vial of Veritaserum in his hand.</p>
<p>“Let the record show that vial number six hundred and eighty-seven from the department of mystery’s archives will be now opened and given to the witness.</p>
<p>The loud sound from the unsealing of the vial was heard once again and three drops fell in Sirius’ mouth.</p>
<p>“What is your full name?”</p>
<p>“Sirius Orion Black.”</p>
<p>“How old are you?”</p>
<p>“Thirty-six years old.”</p>
<p>“What house were you in at Hogwarts?”</p>
<p>“Gryffindor.”</p>
<p>Harry found it curious how the three questions were the same as Pettigrew’s.</p>
<p>“Were you one of the servants of Voldemort, mostly known as death eaters?”</p>
<p>“No”</p>
<p>“Were you the Potter Secret Keeper?”</p>
<p>“No”</p>
<p>“Was it you that told the secret of the Potter’s location to Voldemort?”</p>
<p>“No, that was Peter Pettigrew.”</p>
<p>“Are you innocent from the crimes you’re being charged with today?”</p>
<p> “I escaped Azkaban, which is a crime on itself. But for the rest of it, I am innocent”</p>
<p>The audience laughed, wondering how the man could still make a sort of joke while under the influence of Veritaserum and after twelve years surrounded by dementors.</p>
<p>“Very well, Mister Black. Scrimgeour, the antidote please.”</p>
<p>The senior auror once again limped forward and gave a small vial to Sirius. He gulped it like a shot, making a frown at the distaste of the potion.</p>
<p>“Anything else you’d like to add in your defense, Mister Black?” She asked.</p>
<p>“Yes,“ answered Sirius, the conversation he had with Harry a few minutes ago still fresh in his mind. “I want to call for the attention of the Wizengamot to the fact that the Fidelius charm is a very difficult charm to perform, with only the strongest wizards being able to do so. The wizard that performed the Fidelius for the Potters was Albus Dumbledore, meaning he knew who the secret keeper was.”</p>
<p>Dumbledore’s eyes opened wide, flames dancing in his orbits. Harry was happy, as Sirius had performed brilliantly.</p>
<p>“We will now call for a vote on Mister Black’s innocence, those in favor of his release?” Dumbledore hoped the confusion around the vote would distract everyone from the statement Sirius had just done.</p>
<p>Almost all the wands present were raised, as the evidence provided by the Veritaserum interrogation were considered definitive, but still a few Wizards and Witches voted against Sirius’ release. Harry made sure to take note of everyone who voted against his godfather. It was with a heavy look that he noticed that Daphne’s father, Lord Greengrass, voted against Sirius’ freedom. He needed to solve that problem soon.</p>
<p>He noticed Lucius Malfoy and Umbridge also voted against Sirius. Harry decided to make them a priority for his plans. Malfoy would be a huge blow in Voldemort’s finances.</p>
<p>“By an overwhelming majority, Sirius Black is now declared not guilty for the all crimes in question in this session. A compensation for the wrongful imprisonment will later be discussed between Mister Black and the DMLE. This session has ended.” Proclaimed Dumbledore, with shadows on his eyes.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>A lot of important people were trying to speak with Sirius after his innocence had been declared. But the former prisoner made his excuses and left the room, grabbing Harry by the arm, as the boy was making is way back to Hogwarts. </p>
<p>“Harry, I - I don’t even know what to say. To know you were the one snatching Pettigrew, making it possible for me to even have a trial… I will be forever in your debt, more than I already am for failing to raise you. I will always be by your side, no matter against who or when.”</p>
<p>Harry looked at Sirius, head to toes. “Sirius, you are my godfather. I would always help you the best I can. I might take you up on that offer for help later, Merlin knows I will need wands in the future. For now, what I ask from you is get your health in order, focus on shaking the effects that Azkaban did on you. Take the Lordship of house Black. Get their affairs in order. We will need all the gold and political influence that house Black can offer. Most important, enjoy a little of the life that has been denied to you on these last years.”</p>
<p>Harry knew he had won an ally. And a very important one, if Sirius really dedicated himself to the task. The Black family was another one of the seven Ancient and Noble houses, and together with house Potter, represented a considerable political force. Sirius also had some experience in dealing with the high-class of the wizarding world. Once he became Lord Black, we would be a big player in the political theatre.</p>
<p>“I will. And now that I’m free, I can be more present as a godfather. You can count on seeing me at the tasks, Harry.”</p>
<p>The older man hugged the younger, and they parted ways. Sirius went to St. Mungo’s, while Harry went to Hogwarts.</p>
<p>But before he reached the apparition area, that would allow him to apparate to the chamber of secrets, he was once again interrupted.</p>
<p>“Harry, a word? I have some important issues we need to discuss.”</p>
<p>Harry turned around, seeing who was calling him.</p>
<p>“Ah, Rita! Of course! Where do you wish to speak?”</p>
<p>“Can you come to my office?” She asked. “I can side-apparate you there.”</p>
<p>“That would be acceptable." He said, taking her arm.</p>
<p>A second later, he felt he was being forced through a very tight tube.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>“I have to say, Harry, I find it impressive how you, a fourteen-year-old student, managed to free a man who was considered one of the most dangerous criminals in our country. Maybe associating myself to you was not such a bad idea.”</p>
<p>“What can I say, Rita? Things tend to happen around me.” A smile graced his lips.</p>
<p>“I’m really looking for the story of how you managed to find Pettigrew. The man escapes the aurors for more than a decade and you simply find him out of the blue?”</p>
<p>“I have my ways, and I won’t show any mercy for the followers of Voldemort. I’m not Dumbledore.”</p>
<p>“Of that, I have no doubts. The prophet will probably do a second issue today just to cover what happened in there.”</p>
<p>“Then you should probably get to work, Rita. I want your take on the matter to be published, and of course, you know to portrait Dumbledore in the worst image possible.”</p>
<p>“I haven’t forgot about our deal, don’t worry Harry.” She answered promptly.</p>
<p>“I’m not worried at all. Now, tell me the news about my relatives.”</p>
<p>“Yes, we were able to locate the house with the memory you provided but let me tell you the place is very well warded. Your relative’s memories on the other hand… They don’t even remember your existence. They have been cleaned from all the traces of your existence.”</p>
<p>“That’s a first. Dumbledore never resorted to such methods. Can the memories be recovered?”</p>
<p>“They can, but it will be lengthy and costly. A lot of time with mind healers will be needed. And they would have to agree to it.”</p>
<p>“I can provide the gold, that’s not a problem. We could maybe use the Imperius curse to make them obey?”</p>
<p>“The Imperius curse?” She asked, an eyebrow raised.</p>
<p>“Please Rita, don’t try to push morality on me. We both know you’ll do anything for a story, the Imperius is just a tool.”</p>
<p>“I still don’t like it. And using the Imperius can mess up with their minds even more and ruin any chance of salvaging anything.”</p>
<p>“Just find a way, Rita. You know I can’t be involved openly, and you know this can be the biggest story of your life. Make it work.”</p>
<p>“I will Harry, I will.”</p>
<p>“Good. Owl me the amount of gold you will need, I’ll make sure the goblins open a new vault that you can access.”</p>
<p>They made their goodbyes and Harry apparated into the chamber.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>“You had something to do with it, didn’t you?” asked Blaise, happy to know Sirius was now a free man.</p>
<p>“I won’t say anything about that, not that I could.” Answered Harry, but he found himself unable to give his friends a wink.</p>
<p>Blaise and Tracey had met Sirius in the end of their third year, when they helped him escape from Fudge and his intentions to give Sirius a dementor’s kiss. Both his friends knew the man was innocent but couldn’t do a lot to help.</p>
<p>“It really makes you worry about your safety when an innocent man can be locked up for twelve years, doesn’t it?” Daphne’s question made them all think a little bit about the topic.</p>
<p>“It was a time of war, it was different.” defended Tracey.</p>
<p>“Times of war are coming again, we can’t allow ourselves to commit the same mistakes. And there were a lot of interests in Sirius being locked up, it wasn’t just bad luck and confusing times.”</p>
<p>The mood was not more tense, as the four Slytherins out themselves in Sirius shoes.</p>
<p>Trying to lighten up the mood, Tracey decided to ask.</p>
<p>“So, do you guys already have dates for the Yule Ball?”</p>
<p>Harry’s clenched his fists, as that was not a question he wanted to answer. Daphne looked up to him, and their eyes crossed for a few moments. He knew what she was thinking, what she wanted.</p>
<p>“I don’t!” Said Blaise “And I don’t even know who to ask!”</p>
<p>“You better hurry, otherwise all the good girls will be gone!” Mocked Tracey “I said yes to Nott, so we will be going together.”</p>
<p>“What about you two? Are you going to invite Daphne, mate?”</p>
<p>Both Harry and Daphne blushed madly at their friend’s question.</p>
<p>“Well I wanted to, but with Daphne’s father… I don’t know id it’s the better option.”</p>
<p>The girl looked sad, her eyes were dark and harry felt she would burst into tears at any second.</p>
<p>“I don’t even know if I’m going to be here. Harry and I can’t go together, and I don’t want to end up going with Malfoy or alone. So, I may just skip the entire event.”</p>
<p>They were tense and awkward, not at all how they should be spending a day that should be of celebration for Sirius.</p>
<p>Harry was in a crossroad, he knew who he wanted to invite if Daphne was not available, but he didn’t know how to approach the topic.</p>
<p>They finished eating, his friends went to their classes, and Harry made his way to the Come and go room, choosing to vent his frustration on the training dummies.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>Fleur woke up feeling excited and anxious. Today was the day she would join Harry for a run, today was the day she was going to do something forward with the boy.</p>
<p>She made his way to the lake and found him already there, warming up in the cold weather.</p>
<p>“Harry! Hi, what a surprise to find you here. You run in the morning often?” She asked, pretending to frame the encounter as casual.</p>
<p>“Hello Fleur, how are you? Yes, I usually run here in the early morning. But you know that, right? I’ve seen you watch me a couple of times.”</p>
<p>She blushed. She had been caught and didn’t have an excuse for it.</p>
<p>“I did, a few times, yes. Who doesn’t like to watch such a good-looking young man working out?” She had changed the spotlight, and know it was Harry’s time to blush. Fleur pressed on it and winked at him.</p>
<p>“I- I- do you want to join me?” he asked on a blur.</p>
<p>“Thought you’d never ask!” was the answer.</p>
<p>Both students ran across the lake for more than an hour, Harry was impressed with Fleur’s physical form and resistance.</p>
<p>When they finished, all pink and sweaty, she made her move.</p>
<p>“So, Harry, who’s the lucky girl that going to take you to the Yule Ball?”</p>
<p>“Hum- err- Idonthaveadateyet” he answered</p>
<p>“What? What did you say?” she asked, not being able to understand what he’d said, but guessing what the answer would be.</p>
<p>“I don’t have a date yet. The girl I wanted to take can’t go, so I don’t know who to take.”</p>
<p>“I’m sure there’s a long line of girls that would kill for you to take them” she teased. Seeing him blush madly repeatedly made her feel good.</p>
<p>“I don’t think so but thank you. I really have to choose someone soon. I’ve heard we, the champions, are going to have to open the Ball, and I don’t even know how to dance!”</p>
<p>“Well, I’ll just let you know that I still don’t have a date, and that I’m a good dance teacher.” She paused for a second, watching him look at his feet in embarrassment. “I’m going to go take a shower. Bye Harry!”</p>
<p>She blew him a kiss and made her way to the Beauxbatons carriages.</p>
<p>She wanted Harry to invite her. For some reason, she felt attracted to him, even despite the age gap between them. She didn’t like being the second option, and he had made clear that there was a girl he wanted to invite first, but she knew what mattered was the end, and she was going to get him at the end. Who could resist her?</p>
<p><em>‘That red-head certainly couldn’t.’ </em>she thought, amused. The boy had caused a scene trying to invite her to the dance, his eyes filled with adoration and his mouth almost drooling. She had been quick to dismiss him, but he kept screaming after her, as she left the hall. It had been uncomfortable.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>Harry arrived at the chamber to see an owl waiting for him. The letter had the Gringotts seal, so he knew it was something official to do with the goblins.</p>
<p>Opening the envelope, he read that he was being summoned to take a second inheritance test, as the goblins claimed the previous one was outdated. Harry had an idea of what had changed but decided to wait for a better time to go to Diagon alley.</p>
<p>“Salazar? I need your help.”</p>
<p>“Child, what can I help you with? Any magic you want to know?”</p>
<p>Harry smiled, hearing the voice of a man who had become a mentor, almost like a father figure to him, was always comforting.</p>
<p>“No, this time it’s with matters of the heart…”</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>
  <strong>AN: A few of you spoke about Pettigrew’s death in the trial. I just want to point out that I consulted an actual lawyer and it was confirmed that if a witness dies before the examination and cross-examination are over, the judge can choose to disregard the testimony. Of course, a magical judiciary system is different, but I went for that. Hope the cliffhanger wasn’t too bad.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Thanks to my Beta Arthur for his review of this chapter. On this chapter in particular, without his feedback I would have published it with a lot of inconsistencies. </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>I remember that we are looking for a second Beta, to cross-examine his work. Volunteers are welcome.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Thank you for the follows and reviews. Keep them coming.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Hope the start of the year has been good for everyone.</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Chapter 18</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>SIRIUS BLACK IS INNOCENT</strong>
</p>
<p>DUMBLEDORE GUILTY OF WRONGFUL IMPRISIONMENT?</p>
<p>
  <em>By Rita Skeeter</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Yesterday an emergency meeting of the Wizengamot was called by Amelia Bones as the head of the DMLE. The session turned out to be the trial of Sirius Black, with the discovery that the one that should have happened thirteen years ago was ignored, and the recently appointed Lord Black (see p.5) was thrown in prison without being given one of the fundamental rights that rule our country. The appearance of new evidence, namely the resurface of Peter Pettigrew, the man Lord Black was accused of killing, alive and well. During the questioning of Pettigrew, where he admitted to being a death eater and the one responsible for the death of the Potter’s, the man ended up choking to death. The cause of it is still unknown, as the unspeakables are still trying to figure it out, but theories have come forward and the most believable is that the former Dark Lord had some contingencies placed on Pettigrew in case this was to happen. Lord Black ended up testifying himself under Veritaserum and was proclaimed innocent by a large majority of the votes. His last statement, saying that Albus Dumbledore knew who the secret keeper was all along is what causing the biggest gossip, with people wondering if the Chief Warlock is really the leader of the light, if he can send an innocent man to prison. (For a complete description of the trial, see page 9)</em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>Albus Dumbledore folded the newspaper, not wanting to read anymore about his fall from grace.</p>
<p>If not for that meddling reporter, he knew we would be able to do some damage control of the situation, but with him being the subtitle of her article, that was harder. Dumbledore was good with people. He knew how they thought and how to control them. And he knew they were ship. They enjoyed groups and wanted to always be a part of one. And Skeeter’s articles played very well with those weaknesses.</p>
<p>He noticed a lot of students with newspapers in their hands, some looking and pointing at him. He needed something to boost his public opinion, and he needed to shut down the inquiry that Amelia Bones was preparing, about his mal-conduct with Sirius’ trial.</p>
<p>He closed his eyes, the political game he was playing for the better part of a century was tiring. He would take a big vacation after all of this was done.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p> Harry sat on the floor of the chamber of secrets meditating. He had been spending more time doing it every day. It served for his training in occlumency, something he’d asked Salazar for pointers a few days ago, but also helped to relax his mind and focus better. He noticed his training sessions went better after meditating for a while, his magic more powerful and focused. It also helped take his mind of the conundrum he had been since his run with Fleur.</p>
<p>If he was being honest with himself, the idea of going with Fleur was tempting. She was incredibly beautiful, the Veela nature only increased the fact. She was interesting, funny and powerful. She had proved to be interested in him, and she had done that before the first task, before his incredible demonstration of power against the dragon.</p>
<p> She also liked teasing him, something which Harry secretly enjoyed, even if more afterwards than when he was on the spot. At the same time, she was lonely. The arrogance most people knew in Fleur was a façade, Harry had saw that before the first task, in the champions tent. He’s seen the fire with which Fleur protected the ones close to her. Her loyalty and devotion. He couldn’t blame the people who got stuck with her beauty, but he pitied them for what they were losing.</p>
<p>On the other hand, she was a few years older than him. And even with the rituals accelerating his growth and fulfilling al the physical potential he had, the age gap was still big. In a few years, of course, that would be irrelevant. But that would be in a few years. He also couldn’t forget the fact that she lived in France, and even with magical travel, that could represent a problem in the future.</p>
<p>But making all those problems irrelevant was Daphne. Looking back, he realized that he had a thing for the girl for a few years now. They’d spent more than three years together, and even with his primary relationships being Tracey and Blaise, Daphne had always been there. If Fleur had not showed up, he wouldn't even consider anyone else. Daphne’s father was also a problem, but unless he decided to go after the man himself, there wasn’t much to do about it right now. He could always pray for the man to change his entire world view, but he doubted that would ever happen.</p>
<p>He considered the two wives hypotheses. Salazar had been the one to brough it up. It wasn’t unheard of, an only child that was heir or Lord to more than one important house to take two wives. Magical women usually had a small number of children, usually one or two, with some rare cases of three. <em>‘Molly Weasley as the exception’</em> he thought with distaste. He found the women unbearable. And in a world where everyone carried literally a gun at all times, one child per house was a bit of a risk. So, two wives was the solution some man found for that issue.</p>
<p>Harry had grown up in a monogamic society, so he wasn’t very interested in that solution, but at the same time, when he thought about sacrificing one of the girls over the other, he found it extremely hard to choose. It was a subject he would calmly and discreetly approach.</p>
<p>Noticing how distracted from the meditation he had become, he decided to put an end to it and deal with the other issues pressing him.</p>
<p>He wrote to Sirius, informing that he would be going to Gringotts the next day, and asking if his godfather would like to accompany him. He invited the man for lunch also, when he remembered that he had never shared a meal with Sirius.</p>
<p>“Hey, Sal, how are you doing with the sound from that egg? Any advancements?”</p>
<p>“Call me Sal ever again, and I’ll make sure you will never be able to enter this chamber ever again” was the response, barely a whisper.</p>
<p>Harry could feel the disdain coming from the founder. Harry had pushed the limits of the founder, by a lot. Their relation had evolved, a lot since the beginning, going from a very formal one, where Harry was slightly scared of Salazar, to one of mentorship, friendship, and, sometimes, almost paternal even<strong>.</strong> But Sal was a bit too much, apparently.</p>
<p>“Sorry”</p>
<p>“You better be. Now, about the voices. As you may be aware, Helga was the nicest of us all. For all the things they got wrong about us four founders, that is one of the right ones. And was one her greatest prides, was the fact that she had a great relationship with a lot of the magical creatures here in Hogwarts and in magical Britain. She went as far as learning how to speak in some of their languages.”</p>
<p>“She learned how to speak magical creatures’ languages? How is that possible?” Harry always appreciated this small history lessons. The founders had been incredible people, all very powerful on their own fields, and Harry always found it funny how all of them were so different from what people believed them to be these days, it was almost ironic. Yes, some of the characteristics were the same, Salazar’s wit, Godric’s recklessness, Rowena’s intelligence, or Helga’s kindness. But a lot of the others were incredibly wrong, like Salazar’s hatred for Muggles and Muggleborns. He wasn’t a fan of the Muggles, that’s for sure, the witch burnings happening in his time and the fact his own son had been killed in one of those, ensured that. But he had no problems with Muggleborns, even believing they should be more protected than purebloods, due to the fact that they were born in a family who didn’t understand magic, and usually led to cases like Harry’s.</p>
<p>“Rowena gave her a little help. That diadem of hers was very useful to us four in all kinds of situation. In fact, I would say without it, this chamber would be a way more rudimentary work than it is. But going back to Helga, one of the magical creatures she was found of was the merpeople. They live in the black lake, underwater, and have a lovely voice. Their chant is recognized all around the world as an enticing but very beautiful sound.”</p>
<p>“And they are also known for not being able to speak out of water! Exactly!” Exclaimed Harry, remembering some of his studies on magical creatures.</p>
<p>“That’s right. And the sound of the egg is very familiar with the sound I remember from merpeople. It has been one thousand years, so I won’t say it is for sure, but I think that it.”</p>
<p>Harry understood that he would have to open it underwater. He looked at the small pool on the main chamber. The water was freezing. He slowly breathed in and out a few times, casted a few warming charms on the water, took out his cloths and jumped, with the egg around his arm.</p>
<p>He instantaneously felt his bones freeze, his muscles screaming for warmth. His warming charms had apparently done nothing to the water.</p>
<p>He opened the egg, and a beautiful female voice could be heard.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>Come seek us where our voices sound,</em>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <em>We cannot sing above the ground,</em>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <em>And while you're searching ponder this;</em>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <em>We've taken what you'll sorely miss,</em>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <em>An hour long you'll have to look,</em>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <em>And to recover what we took,</em>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <em>But past an hour, the prospect's black,</em>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Too late, it's gone, it won't come back</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>Come seek us where our voices sound…</em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>Harry quickly memorized the poem and came bursting out the water, chattering is teeth like crazy.</p>
<p>He tossed the egg aside and started casting another set of warming charms on himself, to the point where he felt he was in the middle of the desert.</p>
<p>Only then he noticed Salazar was cackling at him.</p>
<p>“What?” he asked, the sour mood visible on his face.</p>
<p>“You really still have too much to learn. What is wrong with you? That water is freezing, it was for the Basilisk, not for you! You know you could have just taken a bath with it, right?” He burst out laughing again, unable to control himself with Harry’s idiocy.</p>
<p>Harry wanted to facepalm himself. How had he not thought of that? Taking a warm bath was a way more obvious solution than jumping into the Basilisk’s pool.</p>
<p>“Do you want to hear the clue of not?” he said, trying to make the founder calm himself</p>
<p>“I guessed it worked then. What did it say?”</p>
<p>Harry repeated the poem to Salazar, who analyzed it step by step.</p>
<p>“<em>Come seek us where our voices sound, we cannot sing above the ground. That’s an easy one. Unless they take you out of Hogwarts, something which is highly doubt, they mean the lake. We've taken what you'll sorely miss. That’s very ambiguous. You’d miss a lot of things. But is it an object? Is it someone? The rest of the it is very straight forward; you have one hour to search, or it will be lost forever.”</em></p>
<p>“What they’ll take is really the big mystery here. Not that I think they would kill the hostages, if they use people, that would end the tournament right there. But if they take an object, they may be crazy enough to let it go.”</p>
<p>“And what lives there. I know some of the creatures, but in the last millennia things can have changed. You should do some research on that.”</p>
<p>“Noted. To breath underwater, I know of some options, like gillyweed or the bubblehead charm, but which do you think it’s the best?”</p>
<p>“You could always do a ritual to allow you to breath underwater, but you would probably end up with gills for the rest of your life.” Joked Salazar “Gillyweed is the best out of the two, if you can get your hands on some. It’s more reliable, can’t be broken with one spell, and gives you fins. The bubblehead charm is vulnerable to any spell that hits it, so I wouldn’t recommend it. Don’t forget that fights between champions happened all the time, you told me that yourself.”</p>
<p>“Right, that’s also a good strategy in case one of the champions attack’s me. I guess gillyweed is the go-to, right?”</p>
<p>“You could, but isn’t this tournament based on points given by judges? And if you want to win, isn’t it a better option to try to impress them? Do something different?”</p>
<p>Harry pondered the idea for a while. Salazar had a point. Those two options would probably be what the other three champions would go for. If he wanted to stand out, he had to think of something different.</p>
<p>“Any ideas then?”</p>
<p>“I’ll think of something. In the meantime, focus on dueling. You have very few days until the second task. And the Ball, don’t forget the Ball. It’s always a good opportunity to make connections, and you know you will need all the allies you can gather. Have you made a decision about your dilemma on the other day?”</p>
<p>“Some progress, but no decision. I can’t go with Daphne, so that’s out. We can’t be seen dating in public. I wanted to take Fleur, and she outright showed interest in going with me, but I don’t know if Daphne would go for it.”</p>
<p>“It’s complicated, no doubt. But if there’s something that I learned with all the journey I went  through, it would be that your partner will always be the most important person to you, and that no amount of power or influence will ever top that.” A tone of sadness and bitterness was present in his voice</p>
<p>Harry thought about those words for a few moments. Something had happened in Salazar’s life where he had made the wrong choice. He would ask the founder later. Now, he had to go, but wanted to push the founder’s buttons one more time.</p>
<p>“Thank you for the advice Sal, I will really consider it.”</p>
<p>And then he ran out of the chambers, as it trembled slightly with Salazar Slytherin’s ire.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>Harry approached one of the two girls he had ever kissed in his life.</p>
<p>“Daph, can we talk?”</p>
<p>“Sure Harry, what’s up?”</p>
<p>“I wanted to talk about all this mess we are in.” Daphne’s eyes darkened with those words “We had a date, it went well. We kissed. I like you, and I assume you like me. But we can’t be seen together. I don’t like that. At the same time, in just a few days, I’ll have to go to a Ball with a girl and dance with her. What do you propose that I do?”</p>
<p>Daphne’s expression saddened; she knew this conversation was coming.</p>
<p>“Harry, I understand your position. I really do. And I hope you understand mine, and that this is not easy for me. All I wanted was to go with you and have a great night. But my father would never allow it. So, I guess you’re free to take whoever you want.”</p>
<p>Harry didn’t like it. He knew that could cause him trouble in the future.</p>
<p>“Even if I take Fleur?”</p>
<p>“Ev- even if you take Fleur. I don’t like it, but I can’t oppose to it.”</p>
<p>She was sad, her eyes looked like she would burst into tears at any moment.</p>
<p>He hugged her, placing a kiss on her forehead.</p>
<p>“I just want you to know you would always be my first choice. I would take you if I could.”</p>
<p>She hugged him tighter, upon hearing those words.</p>
<p>Harry was happy that that situation was kind of resolved. He still had to ask a seventeen-year-old gorgeous witch to be his date.</p>
<p>He gave her a small kiss on the lips.</p>
<p>“I promise I will take you to an even better date after that” he said.</p>
<p>A small smiled graced her lips.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>
  <strong>AN: Another one done, the Yule Ball will be on chapter twenty and the second task right after that. We are almost there.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>I thought about writing a poem of my own for the clue, but honestly, the original is so well done I ended up just leaving it alone.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Brasheril_holmestalentmaster: I just want to thank you for taking the time to comment on every single scene. I really enjoy reading your reviews, both the praise and the criticism. Those really made my day today.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Thanks to my Beta Arthur for his once again valuable input on this story. Sorry if I’m a pain in the ass.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Thank you all for the amazing reviews. I really enjoy reading them all. They give me the motivation to keep spending a good part of my days writing this story. Keep them coming.</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Chapter 19</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Harry cleaned the sweat of his face.</p><p>He had been training non-stop in the come and go room, getting ready for the duels that would be taking place in just a few days. He was confident in his abilities, the knowledge of Salazar on both offensive and defensive magic was unparalleled, the founder had been an explored and researcher of magic for the biggest part of his life and had been the best friend of a man who was considered by the magical world as one of the best duelers in history, Godric Gryffindor. While Salazar’s main focus had not been in fighting magical duels, he had watched and fought alongside Godric for decades, and that, together with his magical repertoire made him someone to be feared.</p><p>Dueling tactics had changed a lot over the years, but they both agreed that going for an older strategy could catch his opponents off guard.</p><p>Salazar had passed all that knowledge onto Harry, who absorbed it like his life depended on it. And while they were both convinced that things would not reach such a level, it was better to be prepared. Harry had only spoken with Moody once, but his friends gave him a general idea of what his classes were like, noticing how both fake Moddy’s and real Moddy’s were so similar. One thing that was ingrained in all of them was the motto ‘CONSTANT VILIGANCE’.</p><p>Harry was able to appreciate the wisdom in those words, so he was training like an insane man.</p><p>Blaise Zabini sat on a chair in the other side of the room, watching Harry train behind the security wards provided by the room.</p><p>When he noticed Harry was finished, he started taking his cloths of, until he had only a bathing suit on. Harry did the same, and in a few moments, the room changed into an Olympic swimming pool.</p><p>Harry had never learned how to swim. His uncle and aunt would never pay for him to have lesson and it was not taught at Hogwarts. In fact, until entering the magical world, Harry had never seen a beach or a pool in real life, being limited to what he watched on the television.</p><p>Knowing he would have to swim for one hour, he decided to ask for help. Blaise had been the most obvious choice, as his best mate was always willing to help him. That Harry had traded the secret of the room and allowed Blaise to watch him train was only a bonus for the Italian descent boy. And he was benefiting a lot from watching Harry.</p><p>Both boys looked at the cold water with disdain and jumped inside.</p><p>---------</p><p>“Miss Delacour, please take a seat” the affable charms professor instructed.</p><p>Taking a seat, Fleur analyzed the goblin professor. He was small like all the members of his race, had a head full of white hair, and his face showed a lot of scars, informing everyone of both his experience and power and acting as a warning that he was not someone to mess with.</p><p>She had requested the meeting with the Ravenclaw head of house following what had happened in the Ravenclaw common room, and with her own actions of nearly torture against the two students spreading like wildfire around Hogwarts, the professor was also interested in speaking with the Beauxbatons champion.</p><p>“Thank you for receiving me, Professor Flitwick.” She said, cold and polite. Her opinion of the diminutive professor was not the best, as she blamed him for not taking a more active role in the protection of Luna.</p><p>“My office is always open to all students, even those of are not officially Hogwarts students. So, I was told you wanted to speak with me about a situation surrounding Miss Lovegood, Miss Chang and Miss Edgecombe?”</p><p>“Yes, but not only. I would also like to approach the subject of Luna being a frequent target of severe bullying and physical abuse.”</p><p>Fleur had to give some credit to the professor. If the man was aware of what was happening, he was an amazing actor, as he seemed genuinely surprised.</p><p>“Physical abuse? What do you mean by that?” he asked as he got control of his emotions and a blank face settled in.</p><p>“Professor, do you have a pensieve? I think it would be better if you see it for yourself.”</p><p>“Of course.” promptly answered Flitwick, a wave of his wand sending a small pensieve flying in their direction. “I assume you know how to take memories out yourself?”</p><p>Fleur smiled, as she put her wand against her own head and a silver stream appeared. She carefully placed the mist inside the pensieve and waited as the professor watched her memories. She had chosen to show him two, the one when she had found Luna for the first time, barefoot and alone near the lake and the scenario she found inside the common room. She showed the entire memory of the second incident, as she wasn’t ashamed of her actions.</p><p>A few minutes later, the goblin came out white as a sheet.</p><p>“I- I don’t even know what to say. Please believe me that I was unaware of the seriousness of the situation. I knew some students had a few issues with Miss Lovegood, but I always thought it was some light teasing, not with this severity. Trust me that the culprits will be punished.”</p><p>“Professor, if you want to convince me that you were unaware of what was happening, then act on the matter. Do what you should have done years ago.”</p><p>“I will. About your behavior and actions, while I can not directly punish you as you’re not one of my students, I will inform Madame Maxime of it. Physical punishment is not the way to solve this or any other problem.”</p><p>“I understand professor.” She said. She would stand by her actions in protecting her friend. She would die for those she cared about, and she considered the punishment she had handed the girls to be light. If it was up to her they would not be Hogwarts students anymore and a heavy compensation would be given to Luna.</p><p>“At the same time, I will also make sure to refer that you were under a lot of stress and that seeing your friend be abuse in such a manner probably clouded your judgment.”</p><p>A small smile graced the Fleur’s lips.</p><p>“Thank you, professor.” She quickly made her way out of the officed of the head of Ravenclaw.</p><p>---------</p><p>Harry finished taking a shower and put on some fresh cloths. He was tired after so many hours of magical training and then one more hour of swimming lessons. Blaise had already left, claiming to be too hungry to wait for him.</p><p>He left Rowena’s room and immediately felt her presence. The intoxicating feeling to please the young Veela filled him. He fought it for a second, suppressing the feeling almost completely. He noticed Fleur at the end of the hall, coming from Flitwick’s office. Harry wondered what she was doing there, but a more immediate concern filled his mind. This was his chance. They were alone, most of the students were already in the great hall filling their stomachs.</p><p>Acting quickly, his right hand grabbed his wand while is left hand hid behind his back. A solid object was conjured in his left hand, and he firmly grabbed it, but kept it hidden. Making his way to the beautiful girl in front of him, he greeted her.</p><p>“Fleur, what a coincidence to find you here!”</p><p>She smiled and explained.</p><p>“I was just leaving Professor Flitwick’s office, we had a serious talk about Luna’s situation here at- “</p><p>She was suddenly interrupted when a giant bouquet of flowers, composed of tulips and red roses was almost shoved on her face. She noticed one single white rose in the middle. The contrast of colors was beautiful.</p><p>“Would you like to be my date to the Yule Ball?” He said in one go.</p><p>Fleur gracefully took the bouquet, taking a few seconds to put it against her nose and she smell the flowers.</p><p>“I don’t know Harry, I have a lot of interesting suitors wanting for me” she made a pensive look.</p><p>“I- I- “</p><p>He was red with embarrassment. Fleur smiled.</p><p>“I’m kidding, Harry! I would love to be your date to the Ball.”</p><p>Harry was washed over with a sense of relief as Fleur got closer and gave him a kiss on his cheek. Not one second later, he felt his cheek on fire, along with one other part of his body.</p><p>For an instant he wondered if he was blushing madly, but quickly discarded that hypotheses as all his blood was rushing elsewhere.</p><p>He justified that to himself with the excuse of hormones. He was a fourteen-year-old after all, and Fleur was stunning.</p><p>“It’s a date then!” He said, enthusiasm in his voice.</p><p>“It is.” She smiled. “Now, I remember you telling me you didn’t know how to dance?”</p><p>“That’s true. I thought about signing for classes at some dance school, but I don’t think I would be able to learn well enough in just a few days.”</p><p>“No problem at all. It’s good you didn’t sign up. You could end up falling for one of the ballerinas there and I already have enough competition as it is. I will teach you the basics, so you don’t embarrass yourself, don’t worry. After dinner, we can find an unused classroom and practice there.”</p><p>“I think I have a better idea.” He said and turned around. They had started walking in the direction of the Great Hall. “Follow me.”</p><p>She did, and after a short walk back, they found themselves in the place they had met. Harry walked in front of the door of the Come and go room three times and opened the door for Fleur.</p><p>She raised an eyebrow at his strange behavior, walking back and forth in front of a wall, but when a door materialized in front of her she was more impressed and curious.</p><p>She walked inside and found a gigantic dance studio. She turned to her future date surprised.</p><p>“I never heard of Hogwarts having a dance studio! Is it a secret?”</p><p>“It doesn’t. And yes, one of the biggest secrets.” he said with a knowing smile. At the same time, the room changed, turning into the Champs-Élysées in Paris. “Homesick?”</p><p>Fleur almost chocked up with emotion, tears flowing to her eyes. She missed France a lot, not being able to easily adapt to the cold British weather and the lack of light beauty in the architecture. People were also way colder and much more formal. She missed the warmth of the south and the friendliness of her home. Seeing the Champs-Élysées in such an unexpected manner broke her composure.</p><p>“You can’t even imagine how much” she said in a murmur. “Thank you for showing me this, Harry! How does it work?”</p><p>Harry turned the room into the dance studio again, but when he saw Fleur reaction the change, he was quick in reversing it.</p><p>He then proceeded to explain to her how it worked. Both teens only realized what time it was when they stomach growled, and after a moment of awkwardness followed by some laughter, they made their way to the Great Hall.</p><p>Lost in each other, they had no clue of what that night would bring.</p><p>---------</p><p>The students were peacefully eating, light chatting all around the hall.</p><p>Daphne sat with Blaise and Tracey as she used to, and they were waiting for Harry to join them.</p><p>It was always a mystery if the boy would join them or not, as he used to be very irregular with his schedule. Sometimes he showed up for three or four meals in a row and other times he didn’t show up for two days in a row.</p><p>This they though, Blaise had told them Harry was just getting dressed and would come shortly, so they waited. They waited for almost fifteen minutes until they started eating, as the food would eventually disappear and none of them wanted to skip dinner. At least that was Daphne and Tracey’s thought, as Blaise claimed he was too hungry from swimming and started eating as soon as the food showed up.</p><p>The main doors suddenly open, but instead of Harry, a very mad professor Flitwick walked in. The small charms professor was usually in a good mood, a pleasant expression on his face at almost all times. This night was different, a look of pure rage present on his expression. He hasted in direction of the Headmaster, and a brief exchange of words, Dumbledore got up and followed the half-goblin professor to the adjacent trophy room.</p><p>The students exchanged looks of curiosity between them, except for some students at the Ravenclaw table who traded worried looks between them. They had a slight suspicion of what this was all about.</p><p>Before the two man had the chance to come back, the doors opened once again, this time revealing the student that the Slytherin trio was waiting. But he was not alone, a beautiful girl accompanied him. They were laughing together when they arrived.</p><p>The student body immediately went silent, except for a few wondering whispers, mostly between the gossiper girls. Daphne silently watched how well they looked together.</p><p>Fleur always looked incredible, but Harry didn’t fall too much behind. He had an older look due to the rituals, not that she was aware of that fact, and stood a few inches taller than her. His vivid green eyes contrasted Fleur’s blue ones.</p><p>They slowly parted their ways, with the Veela going to the Ravenclaw table and harry in her direction, in the Slytherin table. But before that, she gave him a light squeeze in the arm, and they shared a look of companionship.</p><p>A mix feeling of angst and anger filled Daphne at seeing them together, a feeling she was not used to feel. All she knew was she didn’t like it, like she didn’t like seeing them together like that.</p><p>---------</p><p>Harry sat down with his friends, but he barely had any time to speak. He noticed Daphne had carried an unfriendly face towards him, and he suddenly felt nervous about the entire thing, but before he could say anything, Flitwick and Dumbledore returned, with the charms professor clearing his throat under a sonorous charm. He decided he would speak with Daphne after dinner. It would also be better to have some privacy, probably.</p><p>The hall went silent as Flitwick approached the podium, who immediately grew a small bench of the floor, enabling the professor to see the entire all and to be seen by all.</p><p>“It has come to my attention a situation regarding the severe bullying and physical abuse of a student here at Hogwarts. A student who fell victim of such vile action without any provocation at all, just for being who she is. And to my big embarrassment and shame, this is happening in my own house. I’m talking about miss Luna Lovegood.”</p><p>Several Ravenclaw students had their heads lowered, unable to face the stares from the entire hall.</p><p>“Now, I’m awake that the perpetrators are from all the four houses, but from my understanding the main ones were the ones from her own house. I want to apologize to Miss Lovegood for my inaction on this matter, I was unaware of the severity of the situation.”</p><p>The little blond girl had tears on her eyes, as the entire school focused their attention on her. She gave a small nod in Flitwick’s direction, but said nothing.</p><p>“While it doesn’t make sense to take points from the entire school, as it would be meaningless, the main culprits will have two hundred points removed from their house. The names of the people in question are as follows: Cho Chang, Su Li, Lisa Turpin, Marietta Edgecombe, Roger Davies, Padma Patil, and Mandy Brocklehurst. So, one thousand and four hundred points will be taking from Ravenclaw. For the first time in the history of Hogwarts, since the point system was put in place, a house will have negative points.”</p><p>While a lot of the students didn’t care much about the house cup and the points, it was an unprecedented action.</p><p>“These seven students will also have detentions for the rest of the semester. Those detention will be decided in my office, after discussion with the staff of what they should be. I hope you feel shame for what you did. You are responsible for your actions and I know this was not an isolated act. It lasted for years, probably since Miss Lovegood arrived at Hogwarts. If it depended of me, some of you would have been expelled, but Professor Dumbledore decided it was not the best option. Miss Lovegood, if you decide to press criminal charges against any of these students, I will gladly testify in your name. What these students did was an embarrassment to me and this institution. Any actions along the same lines, to Miss Lovegood or any other student will be punished with greater intensity, you all have been warned. Thank you.”</p><p>Silence reigned in the Hall. No one even dared to open their mouths. Only the sobs of Cho and Marietta were heard, but nothing more. Harry observed the girls.</p><p>Cho was an Asian girl, one he could have, in an alternative dimension, be attracted to. She had dark hair and eyes, and used to gather a lot of male attention, her female form developing nicely. The situation was now slightly different, as Fleur’s attack left traces in the girl’s face, the curse still not entirely gone.</p><p>Marietta on the other hand, was not as attractive as her friend. She had reddish curly hair, and her face portraited one of the nastiest effects of puberty, acne. Fleur’s curse was not as noticeable on her due to that.</p><p>He really hoped the girls would pay for what they had done. He felt bad for not stepping in and doing more for Luna, but he had been distracted with the tournament and all the problems that had come with.</p><p>The meal was finished in silence and the students made their way to their common’s rooms, no doubt to discuss what had happened that night. On the way out of the Great Hall, they passed through the hourglasses that told the points each house had, the Ravenclaw’s being completely empty.</p><p>Harry tried to pull Daphne apart, like he had done so many times, but the girl had already snuck out and he was unable to find her.</p><p>On the next morning, she had already left in the Hogwarts express. Harry felt bad for not having a chance to speak with the girl, but she was clearly avoiding him.</p><p>So, he focused on his dancing lessons with Fleur and the preparations for both the ball and the task he would have to face in the next days.</p><p>---------</p><p>
  <strong>AN: Next chapter we will have the Yule ball, and following that, we will begin with the second task.</strong>
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  <strong>Due to a bad coincidence provided by life, the next two weeks of my life will be very complicated, with a lot of work-related commitments. My uploads will probably not be as regular as they have been, but I will make my best not to make them too spread out.</strong>
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  <strong>Thanks to by Beta Arthur for his, once again, valuable input on this story.</strong>
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  <strong>A small reminder that we are looking for a second Beta to prof read his corrections and discuss ideas. Remember that the Beta’s read the chapter earlier.</strong>
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  <strong>Thank you for the follows and reviews. I really appreciate all of them. Keep them coming.</strong>
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<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Chapter 20</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Again!” said Fleur.</p>
<p>For the one hundredth time, Harry had stepped on her toes. He had improved greatly, but if he danced long enough, he would eventually make a mistake. Fleur was a patient teacher, never becoming angry or even complaining from the pain she was probably feeling as he stepped on her over and over again.</p>
<p>They had practiced for the entirety of the previous day and for the better part of the current one. Harry was thankful to his workout regime, otherwise he would not be able to handle the physical demands of dancing for almost two complete days.</p>
<p>He once again took a deep breath and placed one is his hands on her waist while the other joined hers. They had been practicing classical dancing, as that was what would be required for the opening of the Ball, when the attention would be mainly focused on them. And with the two going together, they knew they would be the center of it. Two champions going together wasn’t unprecedented, but it was extremely rare, as the rivalry prevented a deeper relationship between the contestants. Adding to that that Harry was an international celebrity and that Fleur was considered one of the most beautiful girls, if not the most beautiful, in Hogwarts, and they were obviously the main attraction of the night.</p>
<p>That was why it was so important for Harry to learn how to dance well, not just in a passable manner, as making a good impression was very important.</p>
<p>A small wave of Fleur’s wand, before sticking it in her hair, started the music once again, and they continued dancing.</p>
<p>They continued for a couple more hours, only stopping when dinner time approached.</p>
<p>Both Fleur and he were panting when they pulled apart, tired from the day of training and the intensity of being so close with someone for so long.</p>
<p>Dancing was an intimate affair, and the tension between the two could be felt by both. Harry in particular having a slightly more trouble, the effect of her allure at such close proximity being increased. He ended up lowering his guard a bit and having to request for a break to deal with the consequences of the enticement.</p>
<p>He was surprised when Fleur changed the room into providing two bathroom and made her way to the bathroom on the right, a small female symbol identifying it. He was used to shower and get changed in the room, but he didn’t imagined Fleur would the same. He entered his bathroom but found it incredibly hard to ignore the fact that there was a naked girl, one like Fleur nonetheless, just a few feet away, with only a wall separating them both. He really tried, but he wasn’t able to shake those thoughts from his mind.</p>
<p>His body followed his thoughts and he ended up having to take care of that problem in the shower.</p>
<p>When they were clean and presentable to the public, they made their way to dinner. The next day would be an important and intense one, and both teens were nervous about it.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>Fleur was looking herself in the mirror, re-touching the little make up she had on. She knew she didn’t need it, her Veela genes making her skin perfect, but she couldn’t resist in covering a few things she didn’t enjoy much.</p>
<p>Luna sat on her bed, carefully watching her. She loved to watch Fleur doing her routine of getting ready, and Fleur had insisted on Luna to stay by her side for the days following the Flitwick debacle. She knew people could be vengeful and feared some retribution from what she’d done. Luna didn’t mind at all, enjoying spending time with Fleur. As she was in her winter vacation, she didn’t have classes, so the two girls spent all their time together.</p>
<p>Luna had been invited to the Ball by Blaise Zambini. She had gladly accepted the invitation, and Fleur knew the boy didn’t have with romantic intentions. Harry had asked Blaise if he could take Luna and keep an eye on the girl, as with the boy not having a date yet, he had gladly accepted the task. That arrangement solved two problems, and allowed Fleur and consequentially Harry, to enjoy the night more freely and with less concerns.</p>
<p>Contrary to most girls, Fleur wasn’t insecure with her looks and knew she would look stunning in her grey dress. It matched her hair, and she had instructed Harry to dress accordingly. Her concern was mostly what usually happened when she dressed up and let herself go. If the attention of the male population was already high in her normal attire, I doubled or tripled when she was dressed up. That could be a problem that would turn the night unpleasant. She prayed for that no to happen but couldn’t prevent her mind from thinking about it.</p>
<p>When she finished with her arrangements, it was Luna’s turn. She carefully arranged her hair in a typical French manner, a long braid resting on one of her shoulders.</p>
<p>She applied some make up as well but restrained herself as she wanted to give Luna a natural and innocent look. As the time for the Ball to begin came close, they made their way to the Hall where they were supposed to meet their dates, with Fleur making the calculations for them to arrive just a quarter of an hour late, as it was female tradition, but she didn’t wanted to keep waiting for long. Her plans were ruined the moment they exited the carriages, finding both boys waiting for them at the door.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>Harry convinced Blaise to surprise the girls by waiting for them at the carriages instead of the entrance Hall. He wanted the night to be perfect and thought that would be the best way to start it, with a surprise.</p>
<p>The boys waited for the girls at the door and were stunned when the girls showed up. Blaise was pleasantly surprised by Luna’s looks. She was beautiful when she dropped the careless look and Fleur had done a wonderful job with the younger girl. Harry was without words. He was barely able to speak, and words couldn’t make justice to how Fleur look. Her gray dress with some flower’s arrangements enhanced all her best features, embracing her body like a second skin. It revealed a great deal of cleavage, getting his brain into disarray. He stuttered a complement.</p>
<p>“Yo- You girls looks incredible. Wow.”</p>
<p>Both Fleur and Luna beamed them smiles.</p>
<p>“Thank you, Harry”</p>
<p>“Absolutely stunning. We must be the luckiest blokes in the school!” Added Blaise.</p>
<p>Luna smiled at the Slytherin and took his arm. Fleur did the same with Harry’s and the four made their way to the party.</p>
<p>They separated at the door of the Great Hall, Blaise and Luna getting in and Harry and Fleur proceeding to the trophy room, as all the champions and their dates had been informed to do.</p>
<p>They found Professor McGonagall there, with the heads of the three schools and Ludo Bagman. Victor Krum was already there too with is date. Harry recognized the girl as Hermione Granger, the Gryffindor book worm of his year. The girl’s demeanor changed immediately on their arrival, going from friendly chatting with Victor to defensively staring at Fleur, her eyes filled with hate. Harry wondered why that had happened, making a mental note to ask Fleur later. The teachers present frowned slightly upon seeing them both together, but none made any comments. Victor nodded in Harry’s direction, and the Slytherin student gave the same courtesy back. Ludo was the exception, enthusiastically greeting Harry.</p>
<p>“Harry! How are you doing such a fine evening? I assume great, with such a beautiful date.” His eyes glanced over to Fleur, and for a second, they were filled with the same lustful look that was usual in the majority of male students, but he was able to shake it off.</p>
<p>“I’m doing great, Mister Bagman. My date absolutely helps, you’re right.” He politely greeted back.</p>
<p>“Thank you, Mister Bagman” added Fleur, so the complement wasn’t unnoticed. She was trained in formal conversation and knew exactly how to act.</p>
<p>“That’s great. A word, Harry?”</p>
<p>“Sure” he followed Bagman to a corner of the room, where they would have some privacy to speak.</p>
<p>“I just want to tell you, as a good friend that I am, that a lot of important people are here tonight to be present at this event. All of them will have their eyes on you, and most will want to have a word. Be careful with what you say, as you can make both friends and enemies tonight.”</p>
<p>Harry wondered why Bagman was trying to help him, calling himself his friend. Maybe he just wanted to be associated with the Boy-Who-Lived, thinking it would be a powerful ally. Well, he wouldn’t dismiss any help, even if it had some ulterior motives.</p>
<p>“Thank you for the heads up, Mister Bagman. Now, if you don’t mind, I will return to my date. She doesn’t like it when I leave for a long time.”</p>
<p>“Of course! Enjoy the rest of the evening.”</p>
<p>“You too.”</p>
<p>Harry made his way back to Fleur, who promptly grabbed his arm and got closer.</p>
<p>While he had been speaking with Bagman, Cedric had arrived with his date. Harry had heard the rumor that he was going with Cho Chang, so he was slightly confused when he saw him with Katie Bell, a Gryffindor Quidditch chaser. He assumed his breakup with Cho had happened after the confrontation in the Great Hall from Flitwick, so he didn’t give it too much importance.</p>
<p>“Now that we are all here, I will give you the instructions on what will happen and your roll in the event.” Said professor McGonagall. “You will enter the Hall, in order of standing in the tournament, making your way to the main table in the center of the room, your seats have your names on them. After dinner the champions and their dates will stand where it’s usually the teachers table for a round of applause and some photographs for the press before opening the Ball. The first dance is reserved for the champions, so you will be dancing alone. After that, anyone will be able to join. Your duties will end there. Please behave and remember each of you is representing a school. Make us proud of you.”</p>
<p>When she finished her speech, Professor McGonagall made her way to the Hall, leaving the champions and the headmasters arranging themselves in formation. Ludo would enter first, followed by Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of the host school. Karkaroff and Maxime would follow, with Harry and Fleur behind. Krum and Granger would go after them and Cedric was last with Katie.</p>
<p>They made their way to the Great Hall, and Harry enjoyed the changes that had been done. Gone were the house tables, replaced with sets of circular tables, all beautifully decorated. Harry was surprised to find some people he knew there, like Fudge, the Minister of Magic, Amelia Bones and Lucius Malfoy. But the biggest surprise of all was Sirius, who was seated at the main table as well. He noticed Blaise and Luna together with Tracey and Theo. They sat in the same table as Draco, Pansy and Draco’s bodyguards, Crabble and Goyle. The latter two didn’t seem to have been able to find dates, something that left Harry with a bittersweet taste in his mouth. On one hand, they were loyal to Draco, always by his side and he didn’t like that, on the other hand he knew they were not bad people, just simple and a little dumb. The fact that they probably had orders from their parents to stay around Malfoy only helped their case.</p>
<p>The table had some other students, mostly Slytherins, but he rested when he noticed that both Blaise and Tracey were enrolled in a conversation with Luna. She was integrated, and that was good. He shook those thoughts from his mind and found his sit at the table. He was surprised when he found he was sitting right besides Sirius, with Fleur on the other side followed by Cedric and Katie. He was wondering who had done such arrangements when he noticed Amelia Bones smiling at him. Figuring it was her action, he gave her a nod and a smile, which she replied with a have.</p>
<p>“Harry, so good to see you here. And let me congratulate you, you do know how to pick them. Miss Delacour, right?”</p>
<p>“Yes, and you are?” she asked, curious at the familiarity, but extending her hand forward, like tradition told her to.</p>
<p>Sirius lowered his head and kissed her knuckles, answering. “I happen to be the Lord Black, of course. Former deranged murderer, known ladies’ man and the Godfather of this unfortunate guy over here” He gave a small nudge in Harry’s arm with his elbow.</p>
<p>“Oh, you were the one the papers made such a fuss about a few weeks ago. Pleasure to meet you, Lord Black.” She greeted with a smile.</p>
<p>“The pleasure is all mine, and please, call me Sirius.” Harry noticed how his godfather’s eyes didn’t glaze like most of the other men in the room. He appreciated that and avoid being pleased with Sirius apparent recover. He looked way healthier, the like of a free man suiting him.  His eyes still had a haunted look, deep shadows behind his grey eyes. Harry assume it would take some time to make a full recovery, but he was happy the man didn’t look like a malnourished zombie.</p>
<p>“how did you end up here?” He asked.</p>
<p>“You are unaware of how doors open with the power and money from the Black Family. It was easy to be here, just needed to say the right words to Cornelius. Amelia was the one kind enough to provide me with the seat beside you, so we must thank her for it.”</p>
<p>Harry have him a wary look. “I don’t know if I should thank her or murder her, having dinner next to a dog doesn’t look like the most pleasant way to spend the evening.” He gave a small chuckle, being unable to contain his laughter at his own joke.</p>
<p>Sirius busted out laughing, and Fleur gave Harry a questioning look. She understood that the dog part was a private joke between the two and wanted to fill included.</p>
<p>Harry shrugged and winked at her, not wanting to give Sirius’ secret away without his permission.</p>
<p>The seated down and in a few minutes, menus appeared in front of them. Being used to the food just appearing in the table, he wondered what the goal was. Dumbledore was quick to explain, informing them to just say the name of the food they wanted, and it would appear. He gave the example, asking for a weird Scandinavian dish and the plate of streaming food magically appearing in front of him. Harry found it an interesting concept and began scanning through the list. It was a mix of British, French and Scandinavian food along with some common’s international dishes. Fleur gave him a few tips on what to choose from the French part of the options, but refused his help when he tried to give her the same advice but with the British dishes, claiming she wasn’t a fan of the heavy food the Englishmen usually cooked.</p>
<p>Dinner went without any major incidents, filled with polite conversation from the people around their table interrupted by some of Sirius jokes. Harry enjoyed the evening, mostly switching between Fleur and Sirius. Fleur made sure he tried most of the French cuisine available, giving him small bites of her own food. He enjoyed her actions, noticing how sweet Fleur was acting towards him.</p>
<p>A few guys gazed at her during dinner, but nothing worth paying attention.</p>
<p>Dinner slowly ended, and the champions made their way to the podium that stood where the teachers table usually was, followed by their dates.</p>
<p>They stood there for a couple of minutes as people clapped and cheered them, while the photographers took numerous pictures of the three couples.</p>
<p>As they stood there, the tables slowly disappeared, leaving the hall almost deserted of objects, only a small drinks table and a stage remained. The crowd formed a circle in the middle, and the six made their way to the center. Harry took a deep breath and when the first chords of the song were heard, he started moving around just like Fleur had taught him. For a few minutes that felt like hours and seconds at the same time, they dance together, lost in the eyes and embrace of each other. Harry danced better than ever, which was expected, as he tended to perform well under pressure. But he knew none of that would have been possible without Fleur, as the Veela was a natural and trained for these kinds of occasions since she was a child. Her grace and agility were unmatched, and Harry simply enjoyed dancing with a beautiful girl, forgetting all his problem for a little while. A few songs later they were interrupted by Sirius and Amelia and exchanged partners. Sirius took Fleur and Harry ended up with Amelia.</p>
<p>“Madame Bones, I was told I have to thank you for the presence of my Godfather by my side this evening.”</p>
<p>“I was nothing, Harry. I can call you Harry, right?” After the short affirmative nod from the boy, she continued. “You helped me and the Minister to write an unforgivable wrong, so I think it was more than owed to you the small kindness.”</p>
<p>They both smiled, and peacefully continued their dance, with Harry noticing the difference from Fleur’s ballerina stance to the soldier positioning of Amelia Bones. She was a good dancer but is nowhere near the same.</p>
<p>Harry was surprised to find Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy waiting for them at the end of the song.</p>
<p>“Mister Potter. My wife.” Coldly said Lucius.</p>
<p>“Lord Malfoy.” Answered Harry in an equally cold matter, taking Narcissa in his arms. Amelia went away with Lucius, leaving Harry alone dancing with Narcissa Malfoy. The dance was awkward in the beginning, with harry being wary of the women’s intentions. She focused on dancing for a while, showing to be an excellent dancer, the lack of youth agility compensated by years of experience. Harry was able to enjoy the dance part, while still being reticent around the women.</p>
<p>“Harry, you don’t need to be afraid. I’m still part of the Black Family. With Sirius taking the lordship and you being his godson, I think we should be made acquaintances. I wish you no harm personally, believe me.”</p>
<p>Harry was still not convinced but opted to not take such a strong negative stance against the women.</p>
<p>Narcisa made no further attempts to speak with him until the end of the song, something he was grateful for.</p>
<p>“Thank you for this dance, Mister Potter” She said, with a small bow “I hope we’ll meet again.”</p>
<p>“Only the future will tell, Lady Malfoy.” He returned the courtesy, as etiquette told him to. ‘<em>If I don’t take care of your husband first’ </em>he thought.</p>
<p>They parted ways and harry found no one wanting to dance with him for the moment, something he was grateful for, as he needed a break and probably something to drink.</p>
<p>He looked for Fleur, not being hard to find her, he just followed the male gaze.</p>
<p>She was near the drinks table, speaking with Luna and Blaise. He went in their direction, but was interrupted by the minister himself, Cornelius Fudge.</p>
<p>“Harry, my boy! How are you this fine evening?”</p>
<p>Harry looked at the bloated man. He didn’t like the eagerness in the minister’s expression, but he went for it as he had no intention of making an enemy out of the Minister of Magic.</p>
<p>“I’m doing great, Minister. How about you, sir?”</p>
<p>“An excellent event, no doubt about it. And call me Cornelius, please. We are friends after all!”</p>
<p>Harry couldn’t prevent himself from raising an eyebrow.</p>
<p>“Are we?”</p>
<p>“Of course we are, why shouldn’t we be?”</p>
<p>“Maybe the fact that you tried to keep my godfather, an innocent man, in Azkaban?” Harry knew he was being dumb, and shouldn’t accuse Fudge, but he couldn’t stop himself, the thought of Sirius locked in Azkaban filling his mind. </p>
<p>“That was a mistake, and I admit to it. I apologize, but you have to understand! I, along with most of the Wizarding World, mistakenly thought he was guilty! And you can’t blame me for trying to keep a killer in prison.”</p>
<p>Harry took a deep breath and opted for the diplomatic way.</p>
<p>“You’re right, and I will forgive this one time. But please don’t do it again.”</p>
<p>“I won’t, I promise.”</p>
<p>“Good. Now, if you excuse me, I have to make my way to my date, I’ve left her alone for long enough.” He used the same excuse he’d used with Bagman, thinking that if it worked once, it could work twice.</p>
<p>“Of course, of course.”</p>
<p>Before Fudge could add anything else, Harry quickly left, walking in Fleur’s direction.</p>
<p>“There you are!” Commented Blaise “The minister keeping you busy, mister big shot?” he joked.</p>
<p>“He’s a pain in the ass, don’t tell me about it.” He answered.</p>
<p>Fleur passed him a bottle of butterbeer and clung to his arm.</p>
<p>They chatted for a while with Tracey and Theo joining in later, and eventually made their way back to the dance floor. Harry danced with Luna and Tracey while Blaise and Theo had their shot at dancing with Fleur. Harry noticed Theo’s gaze, but decided not to say anything after he received an assertive look from Fleur.</p>
<p>He was back at dancing with his date when their night was suddenly interrupted.</p>
<p>A red-headed boy made their way to them and pushed Harry.</p>
<p>Taking a few steps back, he grabbed his wand and asked the boy.</p>
<p>“What the fuck are you doing?”</p>
<p>“YOU!! It’s all your fault! You were the one to figured how to enter the tournament and didn’t shared the secret, not giving the rest of us a chance of competing as well! And then you steal her!” He pointed at Fleur. Most of the Hall was now looking at them. “And you” He turned to Fleur “You are the reason I lost ‘mione.” The boy, Ronald Weasley, made a move for his want. But before he could cast anything, Harry’s voice was heard.</p>
<p><em>“Expelliarmus</em>”</p>
<p>The boy went flying in one direction and his wand in another.</p>
<p>Harry didn’t mean for the spell to came out so overpowered, but his anger at seeing him accusing Fleur and trying to curse her made him lose control. He approached the boy, now with the entirety of the people in the Hall watching him.</p>
<p>“Are you out of your mind? I don’t owe you anything. And I think everyone already knows I didn’t enter the tournament. Are you that thick headed?”</p>
<p>He didn’t even bother to listen to the boy’s response, he turned around, picked up Weasley’s wand, and snapped it in half.</p>
<p>“Don’t you ever, ever, think of threatening me or Fleur again. I will not be so merciful.”</p>
<p>He grabbed Fleur and said in a loud voice.</p>
<p>“Let’s get out of here, this night is ruined.”</p>
<p>She didn’t even spare a look at the boy on the floor, taking Harry out of the Hall.</p>
<p>As they made their way out, Harry was able to catch Sirius’ eye.</p>
<p>His Godfather winked at him and gave him a respectful nod. Harry smiled back and exited the Great Hall with Fleur.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>They found themselves back in the Come and go room. Harry allowed Fleur to program the room, and saw it turn into a very well decorated bedroom, pictures of Fleur and a younger Fleur all around it. Harry assumed the younger Fleur was her sister, noticing how incredible the similarities were.</p>
<p>“Why are we here?” he asked.</p>
<p>“You saved me back there. I don’t know what that boy would do, but I wasn’t going to reach my wand in time. I wanted to thank you, and sharing this place, my most sacred place in the world, is my way to do so.”</p>
<p>Harry only now realized he was in her room. A copy of her room, true, but her room. This was his first time being in a girl’s room. He didn’t know what to do.</p>
<p>Fleur help him, siting on her bed and taping the sheets besides her, indicating him to sit by her side. He did, and at that moment she collapsed on her back in the bed. A dew seconds later Harry did the same, and both teens stayed there for a while, none daring to speak, just enjoying the moment and each other’s company.</p>
<p>Slowly, Fleur came closer to him and leaned her head against his shoulder.</p>
<p>“Thank you for being my friend, even though we are adversaries in the tournament.”</p>
<p>Harry turned his head to face her, his eyes meeting hers. And once again, the entire world stopped existing. Green met blue and blue met green. They stayed like that for minutes, just staring into each other’s eyes. This time was Harry making the first move. He closed in the space between them and their lips touched, hesitantly at first, but becoming more vigorously later.</p>
<p>Hours later, Harry was laying on his bed at the chamber of secrets.</p>
<p>Maybe Wesley’s interruption was not as bad as it seemed, he thought to himself.</p>
<p>With a grin on his face and remembering the moments he had spent with the Veela in the Come and go room, he drifted to sleep.</p>
<p>--------</p>
<p>
  <strong>AN: And there you have it, the Yule Ball. I hope you guys enjoyed it. This one was an easy chapter, the idea of what was going to happen was already very clear on my mind since the day that I started writing this story. The next chapter will be filled with action and duels, no cheesy romance.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>I want to thank my Beta Arthur for his review and input on this chapter.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Thank you for the follows and reviews. I really appreciate every single of them. Keep them coming.</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Chapter 21</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Harry looked at the calendar once again. It was late at night, the day before the second task.</p>
<p>He would have three duels in the next day and the other three in the day after. He would fight each of the champions once for each day, starting with Cedric, then Fleur and Krum to finish. The order would be the same for the two days.</p>
<p>He was ready.</p>
<p>Cedric was, in his opinion, the easiest. He was a bright student, no doubt about it, but he was not a fighter. The fact that he had a terrible defense education, without even one teacher being able to last for more than one year in the position made his ability to fight even more frail. Fleur and Krum were another breed and gave him more motive for concern. He didn’t know much about Krum’s style so he could be a little unpredictable, and while he had the chance to know Fleur better, he didn’t [hasn’t seen] saw her do a lot of magic, and her magical nature and affinity with fire could represent a problem. He was still confident he could beat the three of his opponents. He had Salazar’s help and knowledge, but he couldn’t allow himself to become overconfident.</p>
<p>He thought about where he would be without Salazar’s help. He’d always been a good student, but he only had three years of education. He was still weak and wouldn’t be able to compete against any of the other three.</p>
<p>He would probably have died against the dragon, only extreme luck could have saved him. He was now aware and in control of his power. His knowledge had increased tenfold and he had something to say in his own destiny. He was lost in those thoughts when he fell asleep and it was with a renewed energy that he woke up. He was ready and would dominate the task.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>“Gentleman, I want a fair fight. As you are aware, the rules are no unforgivables and no intention to kill. Everything else is allowed. You can begin at my command.” Said professor Flitwick, the referee for the duels.</p>
<p>The goblin professor took a few steps back. “Begin.”</p>
<p>Harry and Cedric were face to face; wands pointed at each other. The moment they heard Flitwick’s voice; they began.</p>
<p>Harry allowed Cedric to fire the first few spells. He was confident in the dodging abilities he spent so much time perfecting in the Come and go room. He wanted to tire his opponent and catch him off guard and distracted, in order to save most of his energy to the harder duels later.</p>
<p>Cedric sent a barrage of spells in his direction. Disarming spells, bone-breaking curses, piercing curses and a few more. Harry was able identify them all and dodged them easily. He sent a few curses back but more to serve as a distraction than to cause actual damage. He observed as Cedric dodged a few, but he shielded for the most of them. That was good, as maintaining a shield cost a lot of energy. Before Cedric could attack him again, he sent two basting curses and then waited. He saw as Cedric shielded from the two curses with satisfaction. He stayed in movement, making it harder for Cedric to accurately aim, but the Hufflepuff fired anyway. More spells from the same nature which Harry dodged easily.</p>
<p>They kept the same rhythm for around a minute, with Harry dodging the spells that were sent his way and sending low-powered spells in response.</p>
<p>The crowed that had gathered in the Great Hall to watch the duel had started with loud cheers, but was now quieter, as they understood what Harry was doing.</p>
<p>Cedric was starting to tire up and his frustration increased. He doubled his efforts by sending more dangerous spells with higher intensity, but Harry kept his discipline and dodged them all.</p>
<p>Suddenly, Cedric was bound by ropes on the floor and his wand rested in Harry’s hand. Before anyone even realized what had happened, Harry had seen an opening in Cedric’s defense during one of his attacks and had sent two fast and powerful spells in his direction. A disarming spell and a binding charm. Flitwick calmly waked into the ring and declared Harry the winner.</p>
<p>The crowd cheered, and he was able to see Blaise, Tracey, and Luna all cheering and clapping. He saw apprehensive looks on both Fleur’s and Krum’s faced, but he also noticed a small smile from Fleur in his direction. She was apprehensive with him as an adversary, but she was happy for him as a… friend...boyfriend... what were they, really? He wondered.</p>
<p>As he left the stage to give place to Fleur’s and Krum’s fight, he noticed Madame Pomfrey watching him with a pleased look, so he sent her a thumbs up indicating he was perfectly fine. Even Cedric only stayed with her for around thirty seconds, following Harry and grabbing his arm.</p>
<p>“Congratulations Harry. You really bettered me.”</p>
<p>Harry smiled at the older student.</p>
<p>“Thank you, Cedric. And you did really well over there, my advice is to be a little more creative.”</p>
<p>“I will try. But I didn’t do all that well; I couldn’t even hit you one time.”                  </p>
<p>Harry smiled again to the beaten opponent and made his way to his friends.</p>
<p>“Wow, you were really impressive over there!” Complemented Tracey.</p>
<p>Blaise, who was already aware of Harry’s skill by watching him train wasn’t so impressed, but he slapped Harry’s arm. “Well done.” He said.</p>
<p>“Thank you, both!”</p>
<p>Sirius joined them, and all he had was complements for Harry’s performance.</p>
<p>“Jesus, Harry. You completely overpowered Diggory there.”</p>
<p>He hugged his godfather and then settled down in the stands to watch the next duel.</p>
<p>He was glad the organization had decided to allow the other competitors to watch the duels, unlike with like with the first task. He was curious to see how both Krum and Fleur would fight, and it would be an interesting spectacle.</p>
<p>They began firing the second Flitwick gave the order, both sending spells after spells to their opponent. Harry was fascinated by Krum’s speed and elegance at dodging spells and casting at the same time. A bonus from all the years spent in a broom, he thought. He fired very diverse courses, and while Harry knew most of them, there were a few he was unable to recognize, which was a motive for some concern. He tried to understand their effects as he saw them, but with Fleur dodging so many of them it was hard.</p>
<p>The Veela was also casting powerful spells at her opponent, but her speed and reflexes were a bit slower. She made up for it by casting very powerfully, with a tendency to opt for more fire related spells. She also recurred to transfiguration and conjuration a lot, changing the ground into wild animals that she sent to attack Krum. They were very evenly matched.</p>
<p>Harry enjoyed watching the duel a lot, learning from his opponents about their strengths and weaknesses. He was even more happy when Fleur managed to grab the win from Krum. She had used a very clever ploy to fake the appearance of losing and, when Krum thought he had the win guaranteed and focused more on his attacks she had quickly sent a few very powerful spells that caught him off guard and rendered him unable to continue the fight.</p>
<p>Both champions spent almost thirty minutes with Madame Pomfrey as they had been hit a couple of times. The injuries were minor, but it took some time to heal them completely.</p>
<p>The next round of fights would be after lunch and the third just before dinner, giving the champions some time to recover.</p>
<p>So, he decided for a picnic with his friends and godfather, also inviting Fleur to join them. She had gladly accepted and the six made their way to the lake after Harry had a couple of words with his favorite house-elf, Dobby.</p>
<p>It was cold outside, and for a few moments Harry doubted his idea, but upon arriving had his chosen location he was relieved to see that the elf had thought about it and had cast a large area warming charm around the place.</p>
<p>They had a nice lunch, Dobby providing lots of food. Harry noticed a few weird looks from Tracey every time he shared a more intimate moment with Fleur, but he disregarded it as loyalty to Daphne.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>Harry looked the Veela in the eyes.</p>
<p>Fleur.</p>
<p>Just two nights before, he’d been in her bed. They didn’t go all the way, neither of them felt even close to be ready for that, but it had been Harry’s first snogging session and he had been allowed to explore a little bit with his hands. Just thinking of that made his body warm up. The French champion had really taken a bigger role in his life. She went from someone who dismissed him for his age, then to friends and now they were even more than that. He didn’t assume them to be boyfriend and girlfriend, but things were looking to go that way. He still felt very conflicted about what to do regarding Daphne and the feeling he obviously had for the Slytherin, but Fleur was incredible. He watched as she set herself in fighting position and he knew in a few seconds she would be the enemy.</p>
<p>He focused his mind on that and changed his mind set to battle mode. But before that, he winked at the blond.</p>
<p>Flitwick was between them testing the security wards before the duel could begin.</p>
<p>Once he was done, he gave them the same speech as before and then shouted “Begin!”</p>
<p>This time Harry’s strategy was different. Fleur was way more powerful than Cedric so he couldn’t allow himself to be hit. He could see she was not holding back, as she was firing curses with one hand and fireballs with the other.</p>
<p>He quickly started dodging her barrage of spells at the same time he conjured small water bubbles to counter her fireballs.</p>
<p>Her assault was so fast and violent he barely had time to fire back, but he knew what he wanted to do. Slowly, he started transfiguring the floor into chains behind the Beauxbatons champion. He knew Fleur would be focused only on his and wouldn’t pay much attention to what happened behind her if she didn’t have a clue of something to be happening there. So, he masked his transfiguration spells with other charms so she wouldn’t notice it.</p>
<p>The duel had been going on for almost five minutes and Harry was breathing hard from all the spinning around he had perform dodging. He had been hit once, a cutting curse to his left arm. He had been very lucky as the spell could have severed his arm if it had hit right, but luckily it had only grazed his skin, still leaving a severe cut on his forearm.  He would have to thank Fleur for the dance lessons, as he saw some of his reflexed had benefited from the elegance practice. The Veela was also panting hard but showed no signs of stopping. When he felt his chains were ready, he casted a powerful “<em>Protego</em>” and flicked his wand.</p>
<p>In less than two seconds, she was tied up to the floor as his metal chains closed their grip on her. She tried to wave her wand to dispel Harry’s transfiguration, but the Slytherin pumped more magic into the spell and her efforts were pointless. A few moments later, Flitwick declared Harry the winner and added five more points to his standing.</p>
<p>He approached Fleur and extended his arm to help her to her feet at the same time he dispelled the chains. She accepted it and Harry breathed a sigh of relief, as he was unsure how she would react to being beaten. He knew she was very competitive but hoped their feeling for each other would overcome that. He was happy to be proven right as she smiled after getting up.</p>
<p>“Damn Harry, I knew you were good, but this much? I would never remember using chains.”</p>
<p>“I just used your focus against you.” He smiled back. “You really need to be more aware of what’s happening behind you. It was fun. Mixing fireballs and spells makes it way harder.”</p>
<p>“Tomorrow I’m going to get you, don’t doubt about it.” She leaned in and kissed his cheek, taking to chance to whisper to him “But if you want to claim your prize as the winner, we could meet in the Room later.”</p>
<p>Harry stood blankly, thinking about her cheekiness and the offer. He would definitely take her on that.</p>
<p>As the boy processed her words and Fleur stepped back, the crowd cheered at the demonstration of sportsmanship she was showing, all of them unaware of her intentions and the nature of both champions relationship.</p>
<p>Cedric and Krum’s fight was next, with Krum making it look easy. Brute force was his strategy and he just blew through Cedric’s defenses. Harry watched it with apprehension, trying to come up with the best strategy. He considered fighting fire with fire and just be aggressive in his approach to Krum.</p>
<p>He decided to ask Sirius for advice. Godfather and Godson decided to go for a walk. They walked around the outskirts of the forbidden forest for more than ten minutes without a word. They simply enjoyed the fact that they were now able to do so without the fear that Sirius might be arrested.</p>
<p>The older man was the first to break the silence.</p>
<p>“So, how are you really hanging out there with all this tournament bull crap?”</p>
<p>Harry hesitated for a few seconds, thinking about the question.</p>
<p>“You know, at first I was terrified and very, very angry. I just wanted a quiet year after all that happened in the first three. But the truth is this tournament has given me so much. I opened my eyes, really opened them, and started to learn magic for real. My progress has been amazing for the last two months, I think I’ve learned more than in all my time at Hogwarts. And I’ve met new people, which is incredible. Luna, Fleur…” he dragged her name a little bit, something which Sirius noticed.</p>
<p>“You really like that girl, don’t you?” He asked, sending Harry for a few more thoughtful moments.</p>
<p>“I think so. She’s great. Not only pretty, but genuinely nice and funny, when you get to know her. There’s something about her that’s very hard to resist.”</p>
<p>“You tell me about it!” He smiled “If I’d known her before I went to Azkaban, I don’t think I would be able to resist that allure of hers. But that place just messes up your brain. The bad memories are so much and so strong that for some reason I find it easier to not give in to the temptation. It’s the first sort of positive aspect of the time I spent there. I have to give you credit though; it’s amazing how well you can fight it.”</p>
<p>“Don’t ask me how, because I don’t know it either.”</p>
<p>“I won’t, but listen up. If you really feel like that for that girl, don’t let her go. Fight for her. Good one’s are hard to find. How about that other girl, the Greengrass child?”</p>
<p>Harry’s smile dropped the second Daphne was mentioned.</p>
<p>“I don’t know about her… Looking back, I think we always had some chemistry and our date went great for the most part, but I don’t think she has been able to deal with things with Fleur… God, even I don’t know what to do, or how to feel. I’m just divided between both and don’t know what to do!” He said with exasperation in his tone.</p>
<p>They continued walked for a minute more without Sirius saying anything, just taking in his Godson’s situation. He felt conflicted as for one hand he was happy for Harry to find two incredible women and on the other side he didn’t want his Godson to feel so lost.</p>
<p>“You know why you received that letter from Gringotts with a summon?” He asked, an idea on his mind that could help him.</p>
<p>“I have some ideas, yes. Is it to formally adopt me into the Black family, right?”</p>
<p>Sirius hesitated for a moment and winced.</p>
<p>“Uhh yes and no. I want you to be a part of the Black family, but my goal was a little more than that.”” He paused for a few moments as he gathered his courage to confess something, he hadn’t done to anyone else in the world. “I’m sterile.” He finally managed to say. “It’s Azkaban’s fault. As I was saying before, that place really messes with your brain and it has a severe effect on your body as well. If you stay there long enough some parts of it stop working properly, and that is one of the first ones to go.”</p>
<p>“What does that mean?”</p>
<p>“That I can’t have kids anymore.” He said in a sad voice.</p>
<p>“No, I know what sterile means.” Harry quickly corrected. “I’m asking what the implications of that in the Black family are?”</p>
<p>“Well, I have one cousin, Andromeda, but she was cast out of the family for marrying a muggleborn. Also, she could never inherit the tittle, as the Black family magic only recognizes men as chiefs of the family.” Sirius cringed under Harry’s stare. “Don’t blame me! I didn’t make the rules!” he defended. “But other than that, only Narcissa, Malfoy’s mother. Which would mean that young little Draco would become Lord Black after my death. That’s why my plan is to relinquish the tittle to you. You have the blood thru your grandmother Dorea as she was born a Black and to me it as if you were already my son. I know I’ve made some mistakes in the past, but I will do my best to be around you all the best that I can!”</p>
<p>Harry stared at Sirius for a long time, analyzing the man that had just called him his son. HE stepped forward and gave him a tight hug. They stayed like that for another long period of time, until Harry released him. The boy noticed Sirius’ lack of tries to end the hug even when I had gone way longer than what most people would find normal.</p>
<p>“Does that mean you accept it?”</p>
<p>“If the alternative is allowing Malfoy to get it, then I do.”</p>
<p>“Great! Now, I thought we could go there after tomorrow and spend the rest of the holidays in Black Manor, what do you say? We could get you ready for all that you need to know about being a Lord.”</p>
<p>“Are you sure that you don’t want to keep the tittle for longer?” he asked. “And don’t forget I’m already a Lord!” He told, the Potter ring flashing in his finger.</p>
<p>“No, I never wanted it and I think it will only give you more power. The Lord of two Noble and Ancient houses… That hasn’t come around in a few centuries. Also, that could provide a solution for your earlier problem.” He said, a big grin on his face.</p>
<p>“Two houses, two wives?” He asked.</p>
<p>“That’s right. It is perfectly acceptable, you know?”</p>
<p>“Yes, but I don’t know how either of them will handle the idea. I don’t even know if that’s what I want.”</p>
<p>“I understand,” Quickly added the Animagus. “But it’s a way out if you can actually pull it off. Think about it and approach the subject with the girls when you think they’re ready for it. Now, what’s your plan against Krum?”</p>
<p>“I’m not sure, he always goes for power and I can’t move as well as Fleur. I think I’m powerful myself to blast him, but he could have been holding back a little before.”</p>
<p>“Well, I have an idea that could help. It’s a simple spell, any first year could do it. But it isn’t widely known, as it was invented only around twenty years ago, and it didn’t go public. It was actually invented by your favorite greasy teacher, Snivellus.” He laughed at the name.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>Harry checked the stands and noticed how the crowd’s attitude had changed regarding him. Cedric’s participation was a disaster, with his poor performance against the dragon and now losing the first three duels. He had just been badly beaten by Fleur. Harry couldn’t really blame the boy as his defense education had been terrible. He was unaware how his first three years had been, but the word around Hogwarts was that no teacher lasted more than a year in the position. When he thought about the teachers, he knew about… he felt sorry for the students of the school. A man who literally had Voldemort living in his head, a fraud and a death eater. Only Lupin was a reasonable choice of the bunch, but no one could do miracles in just one year.</p>
<p>So, the Hogwarts students, at least the better part of them had turn to Harry to give their support. His success in the tournament helped that change.</p>
<p>He was now facing Krum, the last of his first round of duels. He thought about Sirius’ advice. It was simple and could be very effective. No one would be expecting it and it would be a great prank on the audience.</p>
<p>He looked at Krum’s eyes and saw absolute focus.</p>
<p>They barely paid any attention to Flitwick’s repetitive little speech and when the order to begin was given, both launched incredibly violent assaults on each other. Harry went for destructive spells, sending numerous blasting courses at his opponent at the same time the Bulgarian attacked him with bone-breaking curses and cutting curses. There was no art or finesse in this tournament as both champions were just trying to blast their opponents to pieces. Harry felt he had a slight advantage as he had been saving more of his energy on previous duels. He started mixing transfiguration with the curses he was sending his opponent. He transfigured the ceiling I sharp pointy objects and allowed them to fall on Krum’s head as he tried to keep his distracted with more blasting mixed with bone-breaking curses. He wasn’t holding anything back, and he was doing some damage. He took some as well, as he found himself unable to dodge every single spell that come his way. He opted to not shield almost anything, as that would require more of his focus and power, which he preferred to save for his offence.</p>
<p>The spikes he sent at Krum didn’t arrive at the target, as the older champions noticed them and looked up to change their course and send them in his direction, but that provided Harry with the distraction he needed.</p>
<p>Using a spell taught to him by Salazar, he pointed his wand down and murmured an incantation. The ground started to shake as the small earthquake Harry provoked came into effect. That caught Krum off guard and off balance, making the Bulgarian trying to balance on just one foot. Silently, Harry casted Sirius’ charm.</p>
<p><em>‘Langlock’ He </em>thought.</p>
<p>The incredibly fast spell caught Krum right in the chest and all of a sudden, his tongue was glued to the roof of his mouth.</p>
<p>Unable to cast barely any spells, as he was not very proficient in silent casting, the Seeker’s only choice was to try to dodge the best he could while he tried to find a way to dispel the unknown charm.</p>
<p>Harry, now focusing fully on his offense, was able to make short work of his opponent and was soon declared as the winner.</p>
<p>Krum was furious and left the stage without a word, but the crowd was going wild with the second Hogwarts champion.</p>
<p>He noticed Sirius’ approving smile and saw Snape’s surprise. He looked at his head of house and smiled, earning a furious glare. He knew he would have to justify it later, but for now, he was enjoying the attention.</p>
<p>He noticed his friends together with Fleur clapping their hands in congratulations and beamed at them. He had proven himself in the tournament and was, for sure, taken as serious competition now.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>Harry decided to take Fleur’s offer so, after dinner, he guided her to Rowena’s Room. Once again, it changed to the French Veela’s room.</p>
<p>“Why don’t you show me yours?” She asked, a naughty look on her face.</p>
<p>Harry’s spirit dropped, as he thought of what his room had been for the ten years of his life he’d spent away from the magical world.</p>
<p>“I don’t think that’s a good idea…” He answered, hesitantly.</p>
<p>“Why? Is there any problem?” She asked, unaware of the depressed feeling that went on in the boy’s head.</p>
<p>“I just…” He then took a leap of faith and decided to tell her the story of his upbringing.</p>
<p>It took him almost one hour as he described the actions and punishments that the Dursley’s inflicted on him, and how miserable his life had been. He then told her he used to live in a cupboard under the stairs, which wasn’t something like a room.</p>
<p>When he was finished, Fleur had tears in her eyes. She was mixed with sadness and empathy for the boy in front of her and felt a burning rage against his relatives. She had many ideas of revenge against them that she would propose to him later. </p>
<p>For now, she decided to take his mind out of it and, like two days before, snogged him senseless.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>
  <strong>AN: And so, we conclude the first part of the second task. Writing fighting scenes is not easy, I much prefer to write romance, but I’m happy with what I did and hope you guys enjoy it as well.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>I want to thank my betas Arthur and Haphne24 for their work on this chapter.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Thank you for the reviews. I really appreciate all the feedback I’m getting, and it makes me so happy to see that most of it is incredibly positive. Keep them coming.</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Chapter 22</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Harry woke up with a warm and pleasant feeling. It took him a few seconds to gather his thoughts, at the same time he noticed a weight on his chest. He slowly opened his eyes to see a messy hair bundle of the purest blond. Memories from the previous night raced to his mind. How he had told Fleur a lot from his past. The tears in her eyes, as she understood better how he felt and why he acted the way he did. And then, when she took that all away as she kissed him, again and again, each time consoling each one of his bad memories. They didn’t go all the way, he could tell that by the clothes they were both wearing, but they had slept together and if he was being honest with himself, he felt the most rested as he did in months.</p>
<p>He felt unable to move, as if he was stuck to the bed in that position. Harry understood that that feeling was more his brain not wanting the good feeling to end than actual inability to move his body, so he just tightened the embrace slightly and closed his eyes, enjoying it.</p>
<p>A few minutes later, he felt Fleur starting to stir.</p>
<p>“Good morning.” He said softly.</p>
<p>She turned around to look at him and smiled.</p>
<p>“Good morning. Sleep well?” She asked, giving him a small peck on the lips.</p>
<p>“Amazing. I feel so rested that I doubt any of you can beat me today.” He joked.</p>
<p>“We’ll see.” Answered Fleur, with a knowing smile on her face. “We should get going. The duels are starting soon.”</p>
<p>She made a move to release herself from his arms, but he tightened his grip around her.</p>
<p>“Just a few more minutes…”</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>The schedule for the fights was the same as in the day before, so Harry found himself, once again, facing his schoolmate, Cedric.</p>
<p>The previous day, Harry had gone easy on the boy, as he was trying to conserve energy for the later duels, but today he felt so rested he wasn’t too worried about it. It would also surprise the Hufflepuff, as he would be expecting him to be more defensive than aggressive.</p>
<p>Professor Flitwick, who was again the referee for the duels, stood in the middle of the arena.</p>
<p>He shouted “Begin” and Harry could see Cedric eyes showing restraint.</p>
<p>He focused on his attack and started to send spell after spell after curse at the older student. He started with the simpler spell-chains he had been practicing with Salazar, mixing disarming spells with stunners with banishing charms and blasting curses. Cedric tried Harry strategy of trying to dodge, but he wasn’t even close in agility and elegance, as he ended up being caught by the remnants of some of Harry’s blasting curses. Understanding that his strategy wouldn’t work, the Hufflepuff tried to change his tactics, but Harry wasn’t going to allow his upper hand to be lost, so he focused even more, casting so fast his want was a blur of movement, not allowing his opponent to cast a single offensive spell, only a few halfhearted ‘<em>Protego</em>’.</p>
<p>Soon, as he was stepping aside to escape another stunner, Cedric saw a disarming charm hitting him right in his hand, sending his wand flying away.</p>
<p>A quick summoning charm from Harry and the duel was over.</p>
<p>‘<em>Easier than I thought’ </em>he wondered to himself. <em>‘Is this what I would look like if it wasn’t for Salazar’s help?’</em></p>
<p>The Hogwarts defense curriculum really was an embarrassment.</p>
<p>This time he didn’t help his foe in the end of the battle, as he could see the boy getting frustrated and didn’t want to give him a chance to do something regrettable, so he just left and joined a very proud looking Sirius and the rest of his friends.</p>
<p>They sat through Fleur and Krum’s duel, this one ending with a victory from the Bulgarian.</p>
<p>Just before lunch, Sirius’ grin was getting bigger and bigger, and when the teens decided to go for the Great Hall, he told them he had other plans.</p>
<p>The six walked to the front gates of the school and there, Sirius portkeyed them to Hogsmeade, in order to save them some time.</p>
<p>They went to the three broomsticks and were received by a very happy and even flirtatious Madame Rosmerta.</p>
<p>“Lord Black, pleasure to meet you again.” She greeted them.</p>
<p>“Rosmerta, darling.” He smiled as she took his arm and allowed himself to be conducted to a private room, followed by the five teens.</p>
<p>They went upstairs, where a small corridor with a few equal looking doors presented. Madame Rosmerta lead them to the door furthest away from the stairs and they entered a room with a large dinner table set for six.</p>
<p>They entered and immediately servants appeared to take their jackets. Harry found himself unaccustomed to the luxury, with Luna and Tracey carrying weird expressions as well. Fleur was in her natural environment as was Blaise, having been born in one of the richest families in Italy. Sirius noticed his Godson discomfort and joked.</p>
<p>“Not bad for a guy who spent his first few years in a cupboard, right? You’ll get used to it Harry, I promise.”</p>
<p>Harry’s eyes hardened for a second, but he was well aware of his Godfather tendencies to turn everything into a joke, so he let it slide. Fleur on the other hand looked murderous at Sirius for a while, wondering how men could be so insensitive. Harry couldn’t stop himself from feeling good that she cared so much about him to get turned up over a small joke.</p>
<p>Fortunately for Sirius, and his well-being, he didn’t crack any more jokes about Harry’s past during the entire lunch.</p>
<p>Everything went smoothly, the food was great, with Rosmerta revealing herself to be quite an excellent chef, and both Champions got the chance to take their minds of the tournament for a few hours.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>Later that day, after Krum blew Cedric away for the second time, Harry found himself facing Fleur once again. This time he had a way more solid plan. Something Fleur had mention about Veela’s nature a few nights before that had jumped into his mind in the morning.</p>
<p>Once again, Harry found himself thinking about the significance of Fleur in his life. After everything he had told her the night before, the trust he had place on her, he had a hint she would have a big importance in his life. For a second, while staring at the big blue eyes on the other side of the arena, he felt a feeling he could not quite describe, but it made him not want to hurt her in any way possible. But now was not the time for that, he had to put his feeling aside and focus on defeating his opponent.</p>
<p>The second Flitwick’s order to begin was heard, both launched their attacks. Harry started with his trusted spells chains at the same time Fleur send a few unknown curses at him, in ancient French.</p>
<p>He was caught by surprise with that move, as she’d never told him about any of those. That surprise costed him his attention for no more than a second but was enough for him to take the first blow. A bright orange curse hit him in his left leg, who immediately went weak and completely out of strength. Harry felt himself falling to the floor, desperately casting a very strong <em>Protego</em> charm.</p>
<p>He frantically tried to counter the curse on his leg, but as he didn’t know the spell, it proved to be a pointless task. He was defenseless on the floor and he knew he would only last as long as his shield could hold on.</p>
<p>Unfortunately for him, Fleur seemed to have an unlimited supply of fire balls and powerful charms and before he was able to think of a way out of his bad situation, his shield cracked and his wand quickly went flying from his wand. He had lost for the first time.</p>
<p>Harry closed his eyes for a few seconds as he centered his thoughts and analyzed the combat. He admitted to himself that he had been a little too confident, and the surprise from Fleur’s casting had been his downfall. He hadn’t committed a big mistake which was good but had to improve even more his repertoire of spells and his reaction times. Maybe he could ask Fleur for some knowledge of those French spells.</p>
<p>Fleur had come to his side and helped him to his feet at the same time she dispelled the curse upon him.</p>
<p>“What the hell was that?”</p>
<p>Fleur laughed melodically.</p>
<p>“Just a few family spells my father taught me. I didn’t expect them to work so well, though.”</p>
<p>“You caught me by surprise. I wasn’t expecting that at all, and for some reason froze and didn’t dodge it.” He said while lowering his head slightly.</p>
<p>“Don’t sweat about it!” The jovial tone in her voice getting his spirits up a bit. “You beat me once and I paid you back. We’re even now!”</p>
<p>They both laughed at that and got out of the arena, where they were welcomed by his friends. Luna immediately jumped into Fleur’s arms congratulating her. Sirius hugged his Godson and told him he would do better next time.</p>
<p>They spoke for a while as they waited for the next match. Fleur had the easiest fight, as Cedric’s performance in the tournament had been weak and disappointing. Harry was slightly nervous about Krum. The Bulgarian had proved himself to be a strong opponent and he couldn’t stop his confidence to be shook by his recent defeat.</p>
<p>Harry was casually speaking with Blaise and Tracey as Luna and Fleur listened to another of Sirius jokes. His eyes lazily wondered across the room when they went to a sudden alt upon noticing someone he didn’t expect to see there.</p>
<p>Daphne Greengrass stood in the middle of the open doors with swollen eyes and nervously looking at him.</p>
<p>A few seconds latter Tracey followed his eyes and figured out were he was starring at. She nudged Harry in his back and whispered.</p>
<p>“Go to her. Speak with her. Let her explain and apologize.”</p>
<p>He slowly followed the advice and made his way to the girl. When he got closer, he didn’t spoke, just watched her. She was very obviously nervous, her foot frantically tapping the floor. Her eyes showed she had been crying recently, he wondered why.</p>
<p>After almost one minute of silence, just intense staring, Daphne was the first to speak.</p>
<p>“I’m so, so sorry. I- I- I didn’t know what to do, so…” She was rambling an almost incoherent speech. She looked almost like she was about to burst into tears once again.</p>
<p>Not wanting that to happen, not really knowing how he would act upon it, knowing how that would damage the reputation the girl had build for herself as distant and unfeeling, Harry grabbed her arm and dragged her away from the Hall, and into an empty room where they could speak in private.</p>
<p>They never noticed the long, deep, and calculating stare coming from the French Veela.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>“Take a deep breath. Slowly. Now, tell me what you wanted to say.” He instructed the girl in front of him.</p>
<p>It took her almost half a minute to calm down before she could speak properly.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry I left, I wasn’t thinking and wasn’t here to support you, I’m so sorry…”</p>
<p>Harry locked at her critically for a few seconds, trying to understand the girl in front of him.</p>
<p>“What happened? Why did you decide to leave so suddenly? That’s what I don’t understand…”</p>
<p>“I just… I saw you two. In the Hall at dinner. You looked happy. You could be together in public, I got jealous… She can give you what I can’t, and I wasn’t able to deal with that.”</p>
<p>Realization hit him when he understood what had happened. All of that had been out of jealousy? For one moment, he felt immensely flattered.</p>
<p>“You left the school, you didn’t go to the ball and you skipped almost the entire second task just because you were jealous of Fleur? Daph…”</p>
<p>“I know, it was stupid and childish. I had a lot of time to think about this back home…”</p>
<p>“Okay, stop. It wasn’t stupid. It’s perfectly normal. Fleur is an incredible woman and any girl would probably be jealous of her. I’m not going to lie to you. I won’t say I don’t want anything to do with her. But if I’m being honest, I’m very confused about all of this. Until two months ago, I never had a girl show any kind of romantic interest in me. There’s that Weasley girl but it doesn’t even count.” He shuddered slightly just thinking of a future like that. “And now, I have you and Fleur and I don’t know what to do about it. I think both of you are great and I don’t want to lose any. God, Sirius even suggested I get with the two of you, the one girl for each house thing, and be done with it.” Harry noticed Daphne’s eyes widening a little bit with that idea. He wondered if that was the wrong thing to say to a woman.</p>
<p>“Is that what you want? Just take us both?” she said with a hint of anger.</p>
<p>“No!” he quickly answered. “I don’t know! I didn’t even know that was a possibility until a few days ago. This is all very new to me and I honestly think I’m too young to even be thinking about having one wife, imagine two! All I want is to get to know you and try to figure out what I want.”</p>
<p>Daphne’s eyes softened as she understood he was just as lost as her in all of the situation.</p>
<p>“I understand you… Look, I don’t exactly like this. It’s definitely not how I imagined all of this to go when we agreed on our date. But I like that idea of just getting to know each other, no pressure or strings. Eventually, everything will become cleared, I hope. What do you think?”</p>
<p>Harry smiled, as he understood he’d get what he wanted.</p>
<p>“Yeah, that would be great, yes.” He moved closer to try and give the girl a hug, but she stopped him.</p>
<p>“If we are doing things this way, I can also go on dates with another boys, I hope you understand that.”</p>
<p>That caught the young Slytherin off guard, as he hadn’t thought of that detail before.</p>
<p>For a few seconds he looked at her in confusion, trying to process what she’d just told him.</p>
<p>“I see what you mean when you say you don’t like it. I don’t like it either, even one bit. Just thinking about it… But I have to be fair, and if you allow me to do so, I have to as well.” He was staring at his feet as he said this not wanting to face the eyes of the girl in front of him.</p>
<p>“Great. Now, you still have one more match to win, so go get them!” She gave him a smile and left the room, leaving a thoughtful Harry behind.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>As he was making his way back to the Hall where is last duel would be, still thoughtful about the entire interaction he just had with Daphne, he was stopped by Fleur.</p>
<p>Before he had the chance to say anything, she gave him a tight hug and then a kiss, one that stretched for a while.</p>
<p>“Are you okay?” She asked. “What was that with Daphne? Anything I should know?” she had a raised eyebrow.</p>
<p>Harry sighted. While the idea of having the two girls was enticing, having to deal with this twice was a downside.</p>
<p>“Fleur, this day has been packed. I’m mentally tired from everything. And I still have to go in there and fight Krum. Can we speak about this tomorrow? Please?”</p>
<p>She looked at him with a smile, but the usual warmth didn’t reach her eyes. Harry felt bad about all of it.</p>
<p>“Of course, no problem at all. In fact, I should go get ready for Cedric. Good luck, Harry.”</p>
<p>She turned around and left, at the same time he understood the possible double meaning of her words and wondered if she had done it purposefully.</p>
<p>“Women.” He sighted again, waves of frustration filling him, as he made his way to the last challenge of the second task.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>Harry was face to face with Krum, his entire body ready for a fight. His mind, on the other hand, was miles away from that fight and that stupid tournament. It was on the two conversations he just had earlier. Thinking of Daphne on a date with another boy or Fleur readying herself to go to Cedric. The more he though about it the more frustrated he was. He tried to shut down those emotions, but the more he tried, the more powerful they become. Flitwick was almost done with his routine and he knew he had just a few seconds before it would begin. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. As he opened them again and locked his eyes on his opponent, he could see the face of the Bulgarian go a little pale. He noticed the audience quieting down as well but didn’t know what had caused it. He smirked slightly upon seeing the hint of fear in Krum’s eyes.</p>
<p>“Begin.”</p>
<p>Flitwick had barely finished the last syllable and spells were already flying in Krum’s direction. Harry didn’t hold anything back. He didn’t want to be there, so he focused on finishing it the fastest he could. He casted everything he remembered. Blasting and Bone-breaking curses, cutting curses, he transfigured the ground around them into wild beasts, he sent jets of fire from his wand, transfigured small puddles of water that he immediately froze to stuck his opponent. It was an incredible display of magic and the entire audience could only gasp as Krum tried to protect himself from the overwhelming amount of magic heading his way.</p>
<p>The entire Hall went silent as his protections failed and he was caught by more than a dozen curses. After the dust from the blasting curses settled, Krum was a bloody mess in the middle of the arena. Professor Flitwick and Madame Pomfrey immediately jumped into the arena and surrounded Krum’s form frantically, as they did their best to try and save the Durmstrang champion, while Harry quickly made his way out of the Hall, a mix of anger and regret clouding his head.</p>
<p>He strode out of the Hall into the direction of the Chamber of Secrets, not stopping until he was grabbed by his shoulder. He turned around with his wand pointing at the face of his attacker only to find Sirius panting behind him.</p>
<p>“I’m too old for this, kid.” He said after he regained his breath. “What happened there? Your eyes were glowing bright green.”</p>
<p>That stopped the aggressive answer Harry had on his tongue ready to come out.</p>
<p>“What? My eyes were glowing?”</p>
<p>“Yes, why do you think everyone went silent? How did you do that?”</p>
<p>“I- I don’t know. I was thinking of all this Daphne and Fleur situation, and I just kept growing angrier and angrier. After that I barely even thought, I just wanted to blast what was ahead of me. Krum was just unlucky, it was nothing against him.”</p>
<p>“So, you didn’t do it on purpose? With a glamour or something like that?”</p>
<p>“No, why would I do that? I don’t even know how. Why? Is it bad?”</p>
<p>“It’s not necessarily bad, it’s a sign of power. Only the most powerful wizards can do that and it’s very rare even among them. Dumbledore for example, you may have seen the twinkle in his eyes. That’s him hinting to be one of those few wizards, even if he can’t do it like you just did. Your eyes overshadowed everything else in the room. The last guy who could do that… It was Voldemort. And that’s what people are going to remember.”</p>
<p>A shiver went up Harry’s spine as flashbacks of his second year and the entire heir of Slytherin debacle shot up to his head.</p>
<p>“Fuck”</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>
  <strong>AN: This concludes chapter 22 and the second task (the first of my “invention”). Hope you guys enjoyed it.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>I’m sorry if it took me a longer time to upload, but as I warned before, the last two weeks have been crazy. I hope I can now settle again into a stable schedule.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Some people commented about Daphne’s personality and I just want to say that the entire Ice Queen thing is so overdone it’s become boring. Daphne is a blank page from canon, and I want to make something different with her, not just the same old.  </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>I want to thank my Betas Arthur and Haphne24 for their work on the chapter.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Thank you for the Reviews. They mean a lot.</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Chapter 23</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>AN1: There was a lot of commotion from a lot of you about Daphne’s comment in the last chapter, and Harry’s acceptance to it.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>I understand your complaints, but what I want you to understand is that Harry is a victim of abuse. And that kind of abuse tends to make people sort of desperate for positive attention, accepting things that others wouldn’t. Harry is still struggling with all of this, I think it’s pretty obvious. Give him time to grow.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>And for god sake, they are still teenagers. They say stupid things.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Be patient, and please trust that I don’t do things at random. (only spelling mistakes, really).</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Hope you guys continue to enjoy the story, I just thought this detail should be answered.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>And now presenting… Chapter 23 of Slytherin Advice.</strong>
</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>“Morning Sirius. What are our plans for today?”</p>
<p>“Hey there. I thought we should go shopping today, what do you think? I know Christmas has already passed, but you haven’t been in communication with your friends, so when you meet them again it could be nice if you have some gifts for them.”</p>
<p>Harry’s eyes went dark at the mention of his friends.</p>
<p>“If they are still my friends after what I did, you mean.”</p>
<p>“What are you talking about? Of course they will still be your friends. Sometimes you give them too little credit.”</p>
<p>“Are you sure? After what I did to Krum… I nearly killed him!”</p>
<p>“Yes, and you should try not to do that again. But you didn’t kill him. They were able to save the boy. And you weren’t in total control of your emotions there.”</p>
<p>“It doesn’t justify it. I could have killed someone just because I was mad… at women!”</p>
<p>Sirius sighted. He had taken Harry from Hogwarts after their conversation about his eyes, fearing the reaction from the school. But now his Godson wasn’t in a rush to go back, clinging to each day he spent away as his last day of peace.</p>
<p>Sirius knew the reaction from his classmates of him coming back to school wouldn’t be positive, but it was necessary.</p>
<p>“Harry, you did a mistake. It was a bad mistake, I’m not apologizing what you did, but it’s one you can deal with. Fortunately, you didn’t violate any rules of the duels, so they can’t come after you legally, but you’re going to have to have to face the music. Take responsibility for what you did, apologize to Krum when you see him, and eventually the gossips will lose steam and people will leave you alone.”</p>
<p>“Not if they are comparing me to Voldemort!”</p>
<p>“From what you told me, they already did it once, and you survived. It won’t be easy, but you’re strong. You’ll always have me and your friends to support you. And there will be others who won’t judge you, I’m sure.”</p>
<p>Harry went thoughtful for a while, but Sirius knew the battle wasn’t won. They were going to come back to this discussion soon.</p>
<p>He didn’t want to be too strict with Harry. Their relationship was still very recent, and the older man didn’t feel comfortable enough to boss him around as a parent. Adding to it, it wasn’t Sirius’ style to be strict. But age had given him some wisdom, and he knew that it was better to face whatever was thrown in his way than to run and hide.</p>
<p>“After shopping, we really have to go to Gringotts to take care of all of this family succession business. I want to take care of it before something we can’t control happens.”</p>
<p>The boy looked at him strangely, waiting for his Godfather to add something some. As he didn’t, he nodded, finished his breakfast, and went upstairs to get ready for the day.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>Magic was, in fact, very useful, thought Harry as he shrunk all his purchases and placed them in his pocket. He remembered all those times the Dursleys made him carry bags around as they were shopping for Dudley and shuddered. He could be compared to one of the biggest Dark Lords in history, but he still preferred the magical world.</p>
<p>They were finishing their shopping spree, and Harry had to admit it, when he was buying things for himself or for those he cared about, it wasn’t all that bad.</p>
<p>He’d bought gifts for all his friends and some new things for himself as well. A few sets of new robes, as the old ones were starting to get short with his growth spree. Sirius insisted, of course, in paying for everything, claiming the Black fortune to be so immense that he could never spend it all even if he tried. He also told him that as he was now responsible for him, he wanted to pay things until Harry got a job. Harry disagreed and after reminding Sirius that he was rich himself, they agreed that Sirius would pay for the clothes and Harry for the gifts to his friends. It didn’t occur to either of them that very shortly all of Sirius’ wealth would belong to Harry.</p>
<p>After they were done shopping, the duo made their way to Gringotts bank. There, Sirius asked to speak with the Black account manager, a goblin named Gornuk. After the usual introductions, the goblin spoke.</p>
<p>“Lord Black, Lord Potter. What’s the matter that brings you to me today?”</p>
<p>“Gornuk, I want to pass my Lordship to Harry here. I never wanted it and I know he will make better use of it than me.”</p>
<p>The goblin didn’t seemed surprise. If he was, he hid it well.</p>
<p>“Of course, Lord Black. Lord Potter if you could follow me.”</p>
<p>Harry followed the goblin to an adjacent room, where a stone similar to the one he had used before stood. But this one was way bigger. He noticed Sirius behind him.</p>
<p>“If you could both stand on either side of the stone, please” Said Gornuk as he started to draw a few runes in small circles around the stone. “We will need some blood for the both of you, please place one drop on each rune and a few on the stone.”</p>
<p>As the goblin finished his sentence, two small knifes appeared out of thin air in front of the two men. They followed the orders they were given. When they finished, the stone started to glow and a small ball of dark light left Sirius’ body and entered Harry’s. As soon as the ball made contact with him, Harry felt a surge of power filling him, way more than with the Potter’s or the Gaunt’s. A black ring appeared on his finger. The ring was made of onyx with an obsidian stone. The black family crest was engraved in the stone. This time, he felt several ‘strings’ on the ring, which he assumed to be a connection to the other members of the Black family.</p>
<p>“I thought House Black was a Noble and Ancient one? Am I wrong?”</p>
<p>“It is, why do you ask?”</p>
<p>“I thought the Lordship rings for those houses were made of gold.”</p>
<p>Sirius laughed for a few second as he understood Harry’s confusion.</p>
<p>“Usually they are, but my ancestors apparently had some sense of humor, and decided to go all-in on our last name.”</p>
<p>Harry smiled. He watched the three rings on his fingers now. A ruby, and emerald and now an obsidian. If he continued at this pace, he would look like a jewelery.</p>
<p>“Lord Potter-Black, as you are now Lord of both houses, both accounts will pass on to the same account manager, in this case, Ragnok, as he is the manager of your first house. It was a pleasure to meet you. Mister Black,” he said, turning to Sirius. “it was a pleasure working for you.”</p>
<p>With this, the Goblin left. They waited a few minutes, wondering what they should do now. They were saved from their confusion by Ragnok, who entered the room with a small smile.</p>
<p>“Lord Potter-Black, great to meet you again. Anything else I can help you with today?”</p>
<p>“Yes, one or two things. Please open a new vault with the name of Sirius Orion Black and place there half of the gold currently present in the Black family vault. Also, give him a key to that vault. He can enter and take anything he wants, at any time.”</p>
<p>“It will be done, Lord Potter-Black.”</p>
<p>Harry noticed Sirius’ thankful stare and nodded at his godfather.</p>
<p>“I would also like to officially cast out Draco Malfoy from the Black family officially.”</p>
<p>“Harry, wait…” tried to interrupt Sirius, but Ragnok ignored him as he gave his answer.</p>
<p>“That’s not on our power, Lord Potter-Black. You can do that with the ring. Focus your magic on what you want, and the ring will answer.</p>
<p>Harry did as he was told and soon felt one of the magical strings of the ring disappearing.</p>
<p>“Done.”</p>
<p>“Harry, shouldn’t you think better about this? Casting someone out is very serious.”</p>
<p>“No, I don’t think so. I’ve had a lot of years to know Draco, and he doesn’t belong to this family. Eventually, if he changes his course in life, I may reconsider, but for now, he is out. In fact, I don’t cast his mother out as well out of respect for the rest of you. I know she is your cousin and Andromeda’s sister.”</p>
<p>Sirius could recognize a fight he couldn’t win, so he didn’t insist.</p>
<p>They said goodbye to Ragnok and made their way to the Black Castle, where they had been spending their last few days.</p>
<p>As they entered, he noticed the wards connecting to him, instantaneously recognizing Harry as the new Lord Black. He also felt the knowledge of the rest of the family properties. There were a few houses scattered around the world, including one private island owned by the family. He also felt a small house in the center of London, but this one had a dark feeling attached to it. He decided he would question Sirius about it later.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>The last days of his small vacation went in a blur, as Sirius did his best to cram all the childhood experiences he felt he should have given Harry in his entire childhood, in just a few days.</p>
<p>They ran around the country going to interesting places, with Harry’s favorite being an amusement park. He truly enjoyed the slides and rollercoasters, and the feeling of freedom they gave him. He still preferred a broom, but they were nice as well.</p>
<p>The worst part was, definitely, when Sirius decided he should give him ‘The Talk’.</p>
<p>Sirius’ determination lasted no more than two minutes, before he sighted and grabbed a bottle of fire Whiskey.</p>
<p>“You know you don’t have to do this, right?” Said Harry, in a mix of amusement and fright, fearing what was to come.</p>
<p>“Yes, I do. It is my job to do so, even if we both hate it. So, you know how babies are made, right?”</p>
<p>Harry rolled his eyes, knowing he was in for a bad time.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>“Harry, you really need to go! Please don’t make me force you.”</p>
<p>Harry looked at his Godfather with resigned eyes. “Fine.”</p>
<p>He grabbed his trunk, who had been packed the night before, told Sirius goodbye, and after a few promises from his Godfather that he would show up on Hogwarts when he could, he disapparated.</p>
<p>He arrived at the chamber and was received by a not so happy Salazar.</p>
<p>“Where have you been? The last I heard from you, you were going to fight in that stupid tournament again, and then you disappear for almost two weeks. Care to explain?”</p>
<p>“Calm down, Sal. If someone hears you speak like that, they would think you actually care for me.” He said, infuriating the founder even more with the nickname. “I’m okay, and I won most of those duels. But some things happened that made leave the school for a few days.</p>
<p>“Most?” he could notice the tone of surprise in the founder’s voice. “Tell me what happened. Everything.”</p>
<p>Harry spent almost the entirety of the next hour telling Salazar everything that happened. When he was over, the founder sounded impressed, but not very happy.</p>
<p>“So, you lost against the girl? The girl you had just spent the night with? Curious… But that glow, if your Godfather described it correctly…” The founder was thoughtful.</p>
<p>“He said the last wizard to do something similar was Voldemort.”</p>
<p>“Yes, that’s not going to go well with the sheep. You have to be careful now and watch your back. People may try something stupid.”</p>
<p>“I know, I will be vigilant.”</p>
<p>“Good. And… I’m proud of you. You are doing a very good job at this tournament.” Harry’s chest filled with pride. Salazar’s approval meant a lot for him. “Just don’t let your feeling get in the way the next time you fight that French girl.” He joked.</p>
<p>“I didn’t! I was just surprised…” Harry noticed that we would not get his way in that discussion. “I have some stuff to take care of. I’ll be back tonight.”</p>
<p>“You better be. If you disappear for weeks again, I won’t be so forgiving!” he still heard as he made his way to the school.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>Harry stood at the entrance of the girl’s bathroom, thinking of which of his two ‘problems’ he would take care of first. French or Slytherin. He opted for French first, as he felt it would be easier.</p>
<p>He slowly made his way to the Beauxbatons carriages, trying to enjoy his stroll while being under the intense gaze of a lot of the students he passed by. He noticed this time people didn’t point at him like they did two years ago. He thought of it as an improvement, but then it occurred to him that they were just too scared.</p>
<p>He pushed those thoughts away as he reached the carriages and knocked.</p>
<p>It was opened by a seventeen-year-old student, who looked at his with a mix of fright and curiosity.</p>
<p>“Yes?”</p>
<p>“I’m here to see Fleur.”</p>
<p>A hard looked passed through the boy’s eyes.</p>
<p>“Sure, the last door on the right.”</p>
<p>He followed the direction he was told and found himself in front of the last door on the corridor. He took a deep breath and knocked.</p>
<p>A few seconds later, the door was opened, and a very surprised Fleur looked at him.</p>
<p>“Harry, ah- what are you doing here?”</p>
<p>“Hi Fleur, can we talk? I know I’ve been away for a few days, but I needed time to think.”</p>
<p>She gave him a faint smile. At the same time, he heard movement inside the room, and for one second, he tensed up, wondering who that would be. Relief filled him when he saw the blond hair of Luna.</p>
<p>“Harry! Hello there, are you good?”</p>
<p>He smiled at the younger girl.</p>
<p>“Hi Luna! I’m great, how about you? How were the holidays?”</p>
<p>The girl beamed.</p>
<p>“They were great, me and Fleur spent a lot of time together, walking around and visiting all the magical creatures. I’m sad that I didn’t go on a trip with Daddy, as we usually do, but this time it was nice being here.”</p>
<p>“That’s great! Oh, and remind me at dinner to give you your Christmas gift! I know I’m more than a week late, but I have something for you.”</p>
<p>“I will.” She gave him a small hug, something which he appreciated immensely, and left the two alone.</p>
<p>After the girl left the carriage, Fleur spoke.</p>
<p>“You know we were worried about you, right? You just disappeared suddenly after what happened with Krum.”</p>
<p>“I know, and I’m sorry. I left with Sirius for a few days, we felt it was best to left things settle down before I come back.”</p>
<p>“Why did you do it?”</p>
<p>“Krum?” he asked, nervously passing his fingers though his hair. “It wasn’t on purpose. I was just angry, I had a difficult conversation with Daphne, and then we had that conversation as well. You made that comment about getting ready for Cedric and I just kept thinking about the double meaning of what you just said… I was jealous. All of that made me lose control, and before I knew it… Krum was already down.”</p>
<p>She looked at him critically, but with a hint of humor.</p>
<p>“You nearly killed a man because you were jealous? And it wasn’t even the man you were jealous of?”</p>
<p>“Well, when you put it that way…” He hesitated.</p>
<p>Fleur burst out laughing.</p>
<p>It took her a few minutes to calm down, and she was cleaning tears from her eyes as she did so.</p>
<p>“P- Please, remind me to never flirt with another guy in front of you!” she started to laugh again.</p>
<p>Harry was a little uncomfortable, but her laugh was contagious, and he soon found himself laughing along.</p>
<p>“I will. But seriously now, we need to talk about Daphne.”</p>
<p>She stopped almost immediately, looking at him with a serious look. “Go ahead.”</p>
<p>“Well, I like her. We had some good moments, but things are complicated. There is a lot going on and I don’t know what to make of it.”</p>
<p>She was staring at him, silently, waiting for him to continue. If she was angry, she was a great actress. Harry took it as a good sign.</p>
<p>“On the other hand, I really like you as well, and I like spending time with you.”</p>
<p>At this point, he extended his hands forward, and the Lordship rings appeared in his hands. That got a reaction out of Fleur, she seemed surprised and watched the rings carefully.</p>
<p>“How did you get them? And three houses, really?”</p>
<p>“The tournament made me emancipated,” He smiled “And yes. Three. Nothing’s ever simple with me.” He gave a small laugh, cynically. “But only two matter, the Potter and Black ones. The Gaunt family is all but extinct, and I’ll probably just let it die out.”</p>
<p>Suddenly, everything seemed to click in her head. She made a surprised look at him.</p>
<p>“Two rings, two families… Oh, I see what you’re going for.”</p>
<p> “Yes. What I want to know is… Are you on board with it?”</p>
<p>She didn’t answer immediately, taking a few minutes to think. Harry waited in silence, nervously tapping his foot as he waited.</p>
<p>“I like us. I think we hit it off great. And my Veela instincts agree with me. Instincts that, according to every Veela I’ve ever met, are almost never wrong. I have this feeling that we’re in for the long run, Harry. And if that’s what it takes for it to happen, I won’t oppose. But I want to meet that girl, properly. And if I ever feel you’re neglecting me… I’m going to make you know it.” She gave him a mischievous smile.</p>
<p>Harry felt, for the second time in a very short period, a wave of relief washing over his body.</p>
<p>He got up from the chair he had sit on and grabbed a box from his coat pocket.</p>
<p>“Fleur, would you like to be my girlfriend?” he asked, as he opened the box.</p>
<p>Inside, rested a thin golden chain with a Ruby incrusted as a pendant. It was a beautiful jewel, one that Harry had picked himself, one that showed his intentions very well.</p>
<p>Fleur took a few moments to admire the gift, her eyes brightening slightly as she stared at the Ruby, shades of fire dancing deep in her eyes.</p>
<p>She pushed the box to the side, and after a faint “Yes” she grabbed him and kissed him passionately.</p>
<p>They only stopped for Harry to put her new gift around her neck.</p>
<p>More than one hour later, he left the carriage still breathing heavily and with an uncomfortable pain in his trousers.</p>
<p>He made a mental note to use Sirius’ Christmas gift to him, a pair of communication mirrors, to tell him how things had gone with Fleur.</p>
<p>‘<em>One down, one more to go</em>’ he thought.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>
  <strong>AN2: Thank you for the reviews and the feedback. They mean the world to me.</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Chapter 24</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Daphne was laying on her bed in the room she shared with Tracey.</p>
<p>“He’s coming back, right?” They were having a discussion they’ve had a dozen times before.</p>
<p>“Of course he is, why wouldn’t he?” Answered Tracey, bored at her best friend’s incessant worrying.</p>
<p>“I just have this feeling that I am, somehow, responsible for what happened.”</p>
<p>Tracey had heard that so many times she wasn’t surprised at all.</p>
<p>“Why do you think that? You were in the stands with me, does that make me responsible as well?”</p>
<p>“Not there, but with the conversation we had before the duel. I think something that happened there provoked him to do it.”</p>
<p>Tracey sighted.</p>
<p>“What could you have said that would cause him to go berserk on Krum?” Noticing her friend’s still anxious look, she put on a serious face. “Look, Daph, weird things happen around Harry. It seems he’s always dragged into some weird shit, and most of it it’s not even his fault. He’s an important piece of the power puzzle in our world, as you are very much aware, so being around him will get you first class tickets into some messed up stuff.” Images from her first year and their adventure going after the sorcerer’s stone came to her mind. Looking back, Tracey could now understand how insane they had been, and how lucky they were not to have died there. “Eventually, you’ll learn to just brush it aside and don’t worry too much about it. I don’t know what happened that day, or how he managed to make his eyes glow that way. But if I’ve learned something this past four years is that it probably wasn’t his fault and he’ll blame himself for it for the rest of his life. I don’t think any of us had anything to do with it. So, can you please chill out about it and let me finish my homework, please?”</p>
<p>“How are you still not done with those? I finished mine days ago.”</p>
<p>“Well, some of us are not so organized as little Miss Greengrass, okay? Some of us procrastinate until the very last day.”</p>
<p>Daphne laughed at her friend’s description of herself.</p>
<p>“All right, sorry to bother, Miss Davies. I assume I don’t need my help then?”</p>
<p>“Of course I do. Now get your ass over here, I need so pointers for this potions essay. I swear, our dear Head of house has this ability to ask for the length to be just a few more inches than my knowledge of the subject. Its infuriating.”</p>
<p>Both girls continued their work uninterrupted until dinner time.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>“So, we have the heir of Slytherin all over again?”</p>
<p>Harry winced at how close his friend was from the truth.</p>
<p>“It appears so, are you ready to be an outcast again?”</p>
<p>“Amazing.” The boy rolled his eyes over. “People are dumb. You can count on me Harry, for everything.”</p>
<p>Harry wondered if Blaise was having that attitude due to the fact that the Goblet of Fire mess was still hanging over their heads, but decided he was being unfair to his best friend.</p>
<p>“Thanks mate. You don’t know how much that means to me.”</p>
<p>“And I’m sure Trace and Daph will say exactly the same.”</p>
<p>“Have you guys spoken about me?” Harry was suddenly feeling slightly anxious.</p>
<p>“Well, you know Tracey. She’s used to this, but Daphne has been stressing about it a lot. You really should have a talk with her, she thinks it is somehow partly her fault.”</p>
<p><em>‘In a way, she’s right’</em> he thought, cynically.</p>
<p>“Why does she think that?”</p>
<p>“She thinks it has something to do with the conversation you had before. She doesn’t know what it was, but she was the changing factor from the previous duels, so she’s convinced of that.”</p>
<p>“She’s not wrong…”</p>
<p>Blaise had a look of genuine surprise.</p>
<p>“What do you mean by that?”</p>
<p>Harry put the other boy up to speed with everything that had happened previous to the duel, his conversation with Daphne, the one with Fleur, and what he had felt during the match.</p>
<p>When he was finished, his friend was facepalming himself.</p>
<p>“Harry, you know I consider you a very smart and intelligent man, right? And you’ve proven yourself to be a very powerful wizard…”</p>
<p>“Yes, go on…”</p>
<p>“Well, when it comes to women… You’re daft.”</p>
<p>“Why?”</p>
<p>Blaise sighted.</p>
<p>“Women are different from us. Specially when there’s romance involved. They are not blunt or forward, they’re shy and use subterfuge. And for some reason, they get a kick from teasing the shit out of us.”</p>
<p>If his friend was right, he really was clueless about the entire situation.</p>
<p>“And since when are you an expert on the matter? We never see you show any interest in girls here at school.”</p>
<p>“What do you know of my family, Harry?”</p>
<p>They boy thought a little bit about it, before realizing that he didn’t knew much.</p>
<p>“Now that you mention it… I know that you live with your mother, your family is from Italy and they are rich. Nothing much. How don’t I know more?”</p>
<p>“My family is complicated. I don’t speak a lot about it, that’s why you don’t know about them.”</p>
<p>“Oh...”</p>
<p>“Don’t worry, I really don’t want to spread it around too much. But yes, they are very rich. In fact, probably the richest wizard family in the country. My grandfather is the Lord for now, but I’m next in the succession line, as my father is already gone. That makes me  a very desirable bachelor. When I’m home, women throw themselves at me. That’s where my experience comes from.”</p>
<p>“Blaise the player, never imagined that.” Commented Harry with a chuckle.</p>
<p>“No, it’s nothing like that. None of that is real. They want my money and title, not me. In fact, a lot of them don’t even want it, they do what their parents tell them to do… It’s quite frustrating.”</p>
<p>“That’s why you don’t speak about that here? For it not to happen in Hogwarts as well?”</p>
<p>“Yes. Being here for nearly ten months a year is a relief from all that… Fortunately my mom understood that and sent me here, going against my grandfather’s wishes for me to be educated at home.”</p>
<p>“Well I’m glad she did it.” Said Harry firmly, placing a hand on his friend shoulder.</p>
<p>“Me too. He’s not happy, but so far, he hasn’t imposed his will. Let’s hope it stays that way.” A shadow of a smile graced Blaise’s lips.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>The smaller blond girl was painting after the effort of the afternoon. Her teacher really was ruthless.</p>
<p>“Again.” She said, in her bossy voice.</p>
<p>The girl took a deep breath, focused and shouted.</p>
<p>“<em>Bombarda</em>”</p>
<p>A chunk of stone from the big boulder in front of her was blasted away, with small pieces of debris falling around the two girls.</p>
<p>“Good, you are improving. But the time I leave, no one will be able to mess with you.” Said her teacher.</p>
<p>Luna smiled at Fleur. The older girl had been teaching her how to defend herself since the end of the second task, when the reality that she would be leaving in the end of the year started to settle in. Luna knew how much Fleur’s presence had improved her life. She wasn’t a victim of bullying anymore, except for the occasional stare, but she could deal with that. And she had friends. ‘<em>Friends</em>!’ she used to think to herself, contemplating how such a wonderful thing had happened. Fleur also knew the impact she had made on the younger girl’s life but knew that as soon as her influence vanished on the beginning of the next year, things could very well return to their older state. She had informed the staff about it, but with more than one thousand students and less than twenty or so teachers, controlling everybody had to be hard. So, she had taken the measures to ensure Luna would be able to defend herself against any student that tried to harm her.</p>
<p>Fleur was grateful for Luna’s presence in her life. In the time where she felt more alone than ever, her presence had been what kept her afloat. The similarities between the Ravenclaw and her little sister, Gabrielle, still amazed her. She knew what she owed to the girl, even if she didn’t know it. And teaching her how to defend was nothing compared to that debt.</p>
<p>The girls continued their training until it was almost dinner time. They stopped slightly before so Luna could have time to take a quick shower and get ready. She really was excited to receive Harry’s gift. It would be the second gift she would receive in her life, that wasn’t from her dad. The first had been Fleur’s. Fleur’s influence on the girl had made her take a little more care about her appearance, much to the Veela’s appreciation, and her Christmas gift to her had been a silver comb for her hair.</p>
<p>After she was done showering and dressing, she sat in front of Fleur’s mirror while the French girl helped her with her hair.</p>
<p>As she felt the long fingers running through her hair, one thought passed through Luna’s mind.</p>
<p>“<em>Yes, it was good to have friends</em>.”</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>The six friends gathered on the Slytherin table for the first time. The four Slytherins, the Ravenclaw and the Beauxbatons student.</p>
<p>From those six, one, Luna, was completely unaware of the importance of that moment.</p>
<p>Two of them, Tracey and Blaise, knew this was one important dinner, but it didn’t affect them as much, so they were relatively cool.</p>
<p>Fleur and Daphne, the two girls that had never officially met, were both nervous, but with different intensities. Daphne, still young and inexperienced, was slightly intimidated by the presence of the French witch. Fleur, who was older and more confident, had her nerves mixed with curiosity about the English girl.</p>
<p>And then there was Harry. The miscellany of feeling inside his head were too messed up to accurately describe. On one side, he was nervous about the two girls getting to know each other. On the other, excited that his life could become way easier if they get along nicely. On a third, he was scared for the problem he could have if they were not compatible. And on a fourth, he was smug, due to the fact that he had two gorgeous girls interested in him.</p>
<p>The six looked awkwardly at each other, and for Harry’s relief, it was Luna who broke the ice.</p>
<p>“Harry, where is my gift? You promised to give it to me during dinner.”</p>
<p>He smiled at the smallest member of their circle.</p>
<p>“Yes, and I keep my promises.” He took a box from his robes.</p>
<p>The girl eagerly opened the box, wrecking the wrapping paper.</p>
<p>Inside, was a special edition of the book <em>Fantastic Beasts and where to find them</em>, signed by the author himself, Newt Scamander.</p>
<p>“I can’t promise you it will tell you where you can find a Crumple-Horned Snorkack, but I thought you might enjoy it.” Told Harry, with a hopeful smile.</p>
<p>Luna gave out a soft squeal and gave him a very tight hug.</p>
<p>“It’s my favorite book! Thank you! How did you get it signed?”</p>
<p>Harry chuckled at her enthusiasm.</p>
<p>“It appears Sirius is a good friend of Newt’s soon. We met them during the holidays, including is grandson Rolf, and when I told them about how you loved magical creatures, he was happy to sign a copy. In fact, Rolf seemed very interested in getting to know another teen who loved magical creatures as much as he did.”</p>
<p>Luna smiled, but didn’t say anything. She gave Harry another hug and returned to her sit, the book already open on her lap.</p>
<p>Harry took the opportunity to give his two best friends, Tracey and Blaise, their Christmas gifts as well. He gave them both the same gift, an auror-grade wand holster with a kit to take care and polish their wands.</p>
<p>While Blaise loved the gift immediately, Tracey raised an eyebrow at him. Harry explained.</p>
<p>“I put you guys through so many dangerous situations, I want to make sure you have the best chance to make it you alive.” He joked.</p>
<p>That send them all into a fit of laughter, helping to relief a little bit of the tension around the group.</p>
<p>Harry braced himself for a difficult dinner.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>Harry sat in the small office in the chamber of secrets while he was speaking with Salazar, telling about his day. Salazar always seemed to enjoy hearing about the daily life at the school and the activities of the students.</p>
<p>“And you were surprised that they weren’t at each other’s throats?”</p>
<p>“I mean… I didn’t expect them to cause a scene there, but they seemed to be genuinely trying to be friendly. I swear I don’t understand women.”</p>
<p>That got a genuine laugh from Salazar.</p>
<p>“They are complicated, no doubt about it. But you should be happy that they are trying.”</p>
<p>“I am! And I think it went as good as I could expect, this all thing just feels unnatural to me.”</p>
<p>“Are you having second thoughts about this? If you are, you should tell them.”</p>
<p>“No, it’s not that. I just didn’t expect this to be this easy. In the muggle world I would never be able to pull it off.”</p>
<p>“But we’re not in the muggle world, right? The wizarding world is different, and you know it. And lucky for you, both girls are pureblood’s, even if blood purity is weird with Veela’s. My point is they were both raised in the wizarding world, where polygamy isn’t such a horrible thing.”</p>
<p>“I guess you’re right.”</p>
<p>“Am I not always?”</p>
<p>Harry smiled at the founder’s arrogance, one he knew it wasn’t really genuine, but a façade he enjoyed putting on.</p>
<p>Happy with how the day had gone by and feeling dumb that he had even doubted his own friends loyalty, he got ready to go to bed.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>
  <strong>AN: Sorry for the delay, but this wasn’t an easy chapter.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Hope you guys enjoy.</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>Thank you for the Reviews, I really enjoy reading all of those.</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0025"><h2>25. Chapter 25</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Harry woke up with the beak of an owl persistently pecking his arm.</p>
<p>Finding it weird, as Hedwig had never done so, he opened his eyes alarmed. On the side of his bed was an elegant brown owl, looking at him disapprovingly.</p>
<p>“I had a rough day, okay? I deserved the rest.” He tried to justify to the owl why he had decided to sleep in. He then noticed he was arguing against a bird and sighted.</p>
<p>The brown owl lifted her paw, showing a small piece of parchment attached to it.</p>
<p>Carefully, he opened the letter and read the contents.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Mister Potter</em>    </p>
<p>
  <em>We have much to discuss.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Be outside my classroom after the last class of the day.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Alastor Moody</em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>Harry tensed up while reading it, unsure of what Moody wanted with him, but decided he shouldn’t ignore the request from the former-auror. He also noticed the bluntness of the letter. The man wasn’t suited to be writer, of that he was certain.</p>
<p>“Moody wants to speak to me.” He informed the ever-present Founder.</p>
<p>“Do you have any idea of the topics?”</p>
<p>“Last time we spoke it was at Sirius’ trial. It should be about that. If not, then he has some tips about the tournament? For some reason, I don’t think he’s inviting me for a simple tea.”</p>
<p>“From what you described about the man, I doubt that as well. We’ll wait and see. You are meeting inside the castle, so we can assume he won’t do anything dangerous.”</p>
<p>The two discussed the subject for a little more time, while Harry did some of his exercises.</p>
<p>Later, he went to the lakeside for his run. This time, as he went later than usual and due to it being a school day, he found no one in the halls, something which he appreciated profoundly, as it was always unpleasant having to deal with the frightened stares of his schoolmates.</p>
<p>After he finished with his workout routine and taken a refreshing shower, Harry decided to      have his lunch in the chamber, asking Dobby to provide him with some food. He had been neglecting his lessons with Salazar, distracted with the tournament and his romantic flings.</p>
<p>Soon enough, it was time to go and meet with Moody. He was curious about what the former auror had to say.</p>
<p>The experienced man could prove to be a valuable ally, but his allegiance to Dumbledore was a little bit worrying. The headmaster had been almost suspiciously quiet in the last few weeks, and while it was great to have a break from his manipulations, Harry couldn’t avoid feeling a little bit of unrest.  He knew he was important for the older man plan’s but was thrown off by his recent behavior.</p>
<p>Could this conversation with Moody be part of some labored plan by the headmaster? He wondered to himself. He would need to be careful around the Defense Professor.</p>
<p>Harry patiently waited for a few minutes as the students from the last class of the day packed their things and quickly exited the classroom, facing a few stares from his younger schoolmates. When the flow of exiting students stopped, Harry peaked inside the classroom and seeing it was empty, he entered. He immediately noticed Alastor Moody siting in the teacher’s desk, with an amused expression on his face, his magical eye buzzing up and down Harry’s body, scanning the boy over and over again.</p>
<p>Harry focused his attention on the former auror, noticing how healthy the man looked compared to the last time he had seen him. The malnourished look was gone, and some meat filled the space between his bones and his skin. The face of the man was more roundish again, gone was the ghostly sucked face Harry had found when he had rescued the man from his prison-trunk. The transformation reminded Harry of the process his godfather had gone through as well, with the big lacking being the haunted eyes Sirius’ still carried. Moody’s eye, the human one, was burning with a fiery intensity.</p>
<p>“Professor, I received your letter. What is it that you want to talk about?”</p>
<p>“Potter!” the old professor snarled. “Take a seat.”</p>
<p>Harry did as he was told and sat at one of the student tables in the first row.</p>
<p>“How did you do it?” he asked.</p>
<p>“Do what, professor?”</p>
<p>“Find Pettigrew. The entire trial. Gathering the support of Amelia. Go against the most influential wizard in the world and wipe the floor with him, all while only being fourteen years old.”</p>
<p>Harry looked at the older man critically. His expression going colder.</p>
<p>“The first step was knowing who to trust, Professor.”</p>
<p>His eyes were ice cold as he stared Moody down, waiting for what the professor would say next. The confrontation lasted for only a few seconds, and Harry did his best to hold the gaze of the man in front of him.</p>
<p>Then, to Harry’s surprise, Moddy burst out laughing. He had to wait almost half a minute for the professor to gather himself again.</p>
<p>“You really are something special, aren’t you? Wise attitude, let me tell you. Very… Mature.”</p>
<p>“I was forced to grow up faster, professor. Dumbledore made sure of it, placing me where he did.”</p>
<p>“I’ve heard the rumors, yes. You don’t like Dumbledore.” It wasn’t a question. Moody was just stating and obvious fact.</p>
<p>“How could I? The man is a manipulative bastard, borderline psychopath. He has been pulling the strings of my life for a long time, and honestly, it barely benefited me anytime.”</p>
<p>“Dumbledore is a complicated man.” Moody agreed.</p>
<p>‘<em>Here we go’ </em>thought Harry.</p>
<p>“We all play checkers in life, he plays chess. He has a goal in mind and doesn’t care if he has to run through half the wizards in Britain to achieve it. I was a good friend of Sirius before Azkaban, you know?”</p>
<p>“He mentioned that you were one of the people who trained him when he went to the Auror Academy.”</p>
<p>“Yes, I was. And we were together in the Order of the Phoenix, fighting back to back more than one time.” Moody noticed the look of confusion on the boy’s face. “You don’t know about the Order, right?”</p>
<p>Harry simply nodded, and that gathered a sigh from the scarred man.</p>
<p>“The Order of the Phoenix was a secret organization founded by Dumbledore to fight Voldemort. You’ll probably recognize some its members. Remus, Sirius, Andromeda Tonks, your classmate’s parents, the Longbottom’s, Pettigrew and, of course, James and Lily Potter.”</p>
<p>Harry knew who Longbottom was, but the weak boy had never gained much of his attention. He was one of the main victims of Malfoy’s bullying, but Harry had never given him a second thought. He wondered if the boy could reveal himself to be an ally.</p>
<p>“My parents were part of a secret organization to fight Voldemort? How didn’t I know       about it? And why are you telling me this?”</p>
<p>“They were. I’m telling you this because I want you to understand. I liked Sirius. He was a good man and an excellent fighter. It surprised me a lot when he was sent to Azkaban for betraying your parents.”</p>
<p>Harry was now more interested in the point the older man was trying to reach.</p>
<p>“Sirius was like a dog with your father. Loyal to the bone, ready to die for him in a heartbeat and then, he sold them out to Voldemort. It didn’t make any sense. Dumbledore had performed the Fidelius, therefore he knew who the secret keeper was, and he was convinced of Sirius’ guilt. So, we had no basis to doubt it. I regret that decision now.”</p>
<p>Harry remained in silence as he waited for Moody to finish, but he couldn’t avoid the glimmer of hope that filled him. He could be on the verge of gaining a very valuable and powerful ally without any effort. The repercussions of his actions could be starting to be felt.</p>
<p>“I know now that we sent an innocent man to prison for twelve years. And you boy… On that day of the trial, you confirmed to me that Albus knew. He knew Black was innocent, yet he allowed the ministry to send him to prison. Do you understand what I’m saying?”</p>
<p>“I do, sir.” He said, calmly.</p>
<p>“Good, you're a smart lad, keep doing what you’re doing, and If there’s anything I can do to help, let me know.”</p>
<p>Harry smiled at the professor. He had just gained a powerful ally. Moody was old but was one of the most experienced fighters in Britain, He had powerful friends and a lot of important connections. Today Harry had took an important step to win both wars he was involved in. At the same time, Dumbledore had lost one of his most important generals. It was a good day.</p>
<p>“Actually, there’s one thing you can help me with, while I’m learning at a very fast pace, and I have the raw magical power, I need experience. The one teaching me magic is unable to provide me with that. I thought you would be the perfect person for that.”</p>
<p>The eyes of the old professor sparkled for a fraction of a second.</p>
<p>“Oh boy, you don’t know what you just got yourself into.” He chuckled. “I’ll give you some pointers, for sure, and some bruises.” He gave a small smirk.</p>
<p>This time it was Harry’s turn to smile. “We’ll see.”</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>“Lord Black, the Minister will see you in just a few minutes, if you’d like to take a seat please.”</p>
<p>Sirius nodded at the young Weasley in front of him. If he remembered correctly the family was as poor as they come, so seeing one of them as the assistant of the Minister of Magic was unusual. He remembered Arthur and Molly from the times of the Order. He actually enjoyed Arthur, the man was quiet but intelligent and much too curious but fair. It was his wife that he wasn’t a fan of, she was too over the top for Sirius’ liking, and had convinced herself to be the mother of everyone even at a very young age. The women had convinced herself that she was the pinnacle of morality, and that everyone that didn’t agree with her was from the dark side. Sirius, whose morality could best be described as grey, had butted heads with the women at almost every interaction they had.</p>
<p>Suddenly, the door to Fudge’s office opened, and Sirius saw it as his cue to enter, his rumblings about the Weasley’s completely gone from his mind.</p>
<p>“Lord Black, a pleasure to see you. Please, take a seat.” said the bloated Minister, eager to make friends with the new political powerhouse.</p>
<p>Sirius laughed, looked Fudge in the eyes and retorted. “I think I’d rather stand, Fudge, I’m sure you understand my distrust of the entire Ministry at the moment.”</p>
<p>Sirius didn’t really care for the Ministry or even the Minister, but he had a role to play, and an objective to accomplish.</p>
<p>“Of course, of course.” A look of shame passed over Fudge’s face, but both men knew was fake. “I asked you here to discuss the matter of your… wrongful incarceration.”</p>
<p>Sirius faked a surprise look. He had been informed that Fudge was now overseeing that particular issue.</p>
<p>“I thought Amelia was supposed to take care of that.” He would rather have that discussion with the enticing head of the DMLE than with Fudge.</p>
<p>“Yes, usually it is. But the situation is so…” Sirius noticed the effort of the Minister trying not to make a pun. “important, that I took the matter into my own hands. We have a fair compensation model, which would give you around six-hundred thousand galleons, around fifty thousand galleons per year, and to a man of your status, I’m sure whatever the Ministry could give you would just be pocket change. What do you think? He asked nervously twisting his hands.</p>
<p>This time Sirius was really surprised.</p>
<p>“That’s outrageous. Twelve years of my life gone, the entire childhood of my godson and you think you can just give me peanuts? No minister, I won’t accept anything less than ten million Galleons, otherwise I'll  go to the Wizengamot for your head and the head of all those responsible for what happened, and you know it would be a clean sweep.”</p>
<p>Fudge’s face was now as pale as a wall.</p>
<p>“T-t-t-ten million? That would bankrupt the Ministry, I can’t do that, you know I can't. My head would end up on the chopping block anyway.”</p>
<p>At this moment Sirius knew he had Fudge in the palm of his hand. Now it was only a matter of twisting the knife until he got what he wanted. After all, if there was one thing politicians loved more than anything was their own power.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry Fudge, but the Ministry took everything from me. We could, of course, come up with some other method to even this debt…”</p>
<p>The panic on Fudge’s face softened a little, but he was still noticeably worried.</p>
<p>“And what would that method be, Lord Black?”</p>
<p>Sirius snickered, enjoying the fact that no one knew that he was no longer the Lord Black.</p>
<p>“Let’s just say I have some… desires… that I would like to see fulfilled.”</p>
<p>“If it’s withing my power, they will be fulfilled, Lord Black.”</p>
<p>“Very well, but be aware of this, If you fail to complete any of my requests, everything we spoke of right now is off the table, and I’ll come for you.”</p>
<p>Fudge simply nodded, knowing he was against the wall.</p>
<p>“First of all, you will double the budget for the DMLE, it’s ridiculous what you have done to that department, this country would be defenseless if Voldemort or any other wannabe Dark Lord shows up. I will not place our fate in the hands of a child again.”</p>
<p>Fudge had no other choice than to nod in agreement.</p>
<p>“Second, you will fire Lucius from his role as your advisor. Known Death Eaters should not have the ear of the Minister.”</p>
<p>Fudge tried to protest, but Sirius cut him off immediately.</p>
<p>“I don’t want any excuses, Fudge. Increase your own security detail if you have something to fear. I will not tolerate his presence here for one second more.” Giving him no time to argue back, he continued. “My third request is that the aurors restart with their raids on the homes of suspected supporters of Voldemort. The Ministry has been weak on those lunatics for long enough. Every single one of them represents a danger to my godson and I will see them eradicated from this planet if I can. Are we clear?”</p>
<p>“Yes, Lord Black.”</p>
<p>“Good. Have a good day Fudge.”</p>
<p>He stormed out of the office.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“So, how did things go with that professor of yours?”</p>
<p>“He actually isn’t my professor, I’ve never been to one of his classes, but it turned out pretty good. After my little stunt in the Wizengamot revealed Dumbledore’s true nature, I think he’s on my side of the fight now. We agreed on him training me on the practical part of combat.”</p>
<p>“From what you told me, this man was a friend of the Headmaster for quite a few decades, do you think it’s wise to trust such a sudden change of heart?” The founder sounded skeptical.</p>
<p>“Do you really think that little of me? Am I not one of the possible heirs of Slytherin? Even if the man is still loyal to Dumbledore and this is all a trick, all we’ll be doing for now is practice. I’m not really hiding my abilities, so he won’t learn anything new. During this time, I will gain   his trust and then demand an unbreakable vow from him. Only if he does it will I trust him.”</p>
<p>“Your plan is to demand an unbreakable vow from everyone around you?”</p>
<p>“Of course not. I would never demand one from my friends, or Sirius, or even my girls. But I don’t trust adults.”</p>
<p>“Oh, so now they are your girls? And isn’t Sirius an adult?”</p>
<p>“Well, isn’t it more practical? No, Sirius is not an adult. He has the body of an adult, but if we’re being honest, he’s more of a child than me.”</p>
<p>That got a few laughs from the Founder.</p>
<p>“I really wish to meet this Dogfather of yours one day.” He commented to no one.</p>
<p>Harry stopped dead on his tracks.</p>
<p>“Did you just call him… Dogfather?”</p>
<p>“I guess I did.”</p>
<p>Harry’s eyes went to the sky in thankfulness and he whispered, loud enough for his companion to hear. “Thank God.”</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>
  <strong>AN: Hey there guys, I know it’s been a while. The interaction between Moody and Harry was particularly hard for me to write, and at one point I decided I needed to take a break to rethink the situation. Also, as the story progresses it gets more tricky to write, as I have more content and have to try not to create major plot holes. I won’t compromise to a fixed schedule for now, but even if I don’t post for a while, don’t worry, I won’t abandon this story. It’s my baby and I’m going to finish it (not that we are even close to the end).</strong>
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  <strong>I’d also like to thank my Beta CalamityXx for his work on the chapter.</strong>
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  <strong>Hope you enjoy the chapter, thank you for the follows and the reviews. In this “small” break this story reached 100k views and passed 1000 followers (on fanfiction net), and I’m very grateful for every single one of them. </strong>
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